Lil'Bit
by TheSarcasticKnight
Summary: Autobots. Decepticons. Drones. New Universe? Aj's life went from downright ridiculous to incredibly dangerous all in the time it took to get blown through a portal. Now she has to deal with her new role in a war she wasn't ever prepared to handle. Her list of people she cares for is growing, but so is her list of enemies. Can she handle this new reality or will it devour her whole?
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: Holy moly. Chapter one of the sequel is here. FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO STUMBLED ONTO THIS: T **HIS STORY IS A SEQUEL. SEQUEL, SEQUEL, SEQUEL**. Do **NOT** read this unless you have read Small Fry first. I mean, I guess you could since I can't physically stop you, but if you did literally none of this would make any sort of sense. Kay? Tell me what y'all think ;D_

* * *

Chapter One:

Waking Up

* * *

 _"She was half a human and half a hurricane, a half that's living to destroy and a half that's trying to survive." –Vazaki Nada_

* * *

The first thing that came to me was pain. Mind-numbing, nausea inducing, excruciating pain. My eyes snapped open, greeted by dim, warm colors, and I sucked in a lungful of dry, hot air. With the air came a handful of dust and I found myself trying to hack it all out. With every cough, my body moved creating aching waves to crash over me. Worse than that, with every movement jolting pain rocketed up my leg from my knee. What the fuck had happened? What the fuck was happening? Where the fuck was I?

With gritted teeth, I forced myself to sit up. This wouldn't be my first time waking up in pain in an unknown place. _I had to get up, and I had to be ready._ Someone from the ring could come back. They could come looking for more blood.

There was nothing around though. I was seated in the middle of an abandoned road. Weeds grew through the asphalt cracks, the ground on either side of the ground was dry cracked land with random patches of dead grass and more weeds, and as far as I could see in front of me was open sky and this single road traveling to nowhere. I let out a cry of pain as my knee ached again and slowly my mind started to catch up to my body.

I wasn't at the ring. I was far, _far_ beyond the ring.

Boss was _long_ dead and I was debt-free. I had been in Alabama. I had been… The memory of seeing the kids, the mechs, my sister, and her husband walking through the portal flashed through my mind. Arguing with two obviously powerful strangers, one man and one woman, followed after it. Finally, I remembered Morgan. The _Reaper_. I remembered him jumping on me, I remembered the explosion, and then I remembered… _falling_. I had been falling. Falling _where_ though?

I glanced over my shoulder to see that I wasn't entirely in the middle of nowhere. About fifty feet behind me, off on the right side of the road, was a small gas station. Even from here I could see the shattered windows and dusty remains. It was abandoned, just like this road. It was an empty shell.

With a steadying breath, I tried to push myself up, but it was to no avail. The moment my knee moved even the slightest, pain hit me head on like a semi truck. My vision went black for a moment and I saw stars. It took a couple minutes to regain my head, but I realized that I wasn't going anywhere, anytime soon. I lifted one hand to probe at my knee, but I could only barely brush my fingertips over the area without wincing. My knee was clearly swollen. My right leg looked like someone had shoved an orange in my jeans. I groaned and let my eyes glance around until they landed on the dull orange sun that was fading behind the horizon.

 _This didn't make any sense._

Where the hell was I? What had happened?

" _Hel-Help_!" I screamed as loudly as I could, but my dry throat made my words crack and I winced again. I was parched. As parched as this strange, random desert I had fallen into.

I clenched my hands, and the flare of more pain made me remember my knee wasn't the only thing fucked up at the moment. My left hand still had a dark green sleeve wrapped around it, but the cloth was a dark red color now and stiff as a board. It had soaked up all that I bled and hardened. With a groan of frustration, I began to pull the useless cloth away from my wound. I cringed as it pulled at my sensitive skin, but I hurriedly ripped it off all the way with only a slight cry of pain.

The horizontal cut on my palm wasn't deep or large, but it'd sting for another week or so without a doubt. It was also the least of my worries. Somehow I had ended up in this desert and now somehow I had to get out of it.

I took in a handful of steadying breaths before using my hands to slowly pull myself back towards the gas station. It was agonizing to do it and after moving only a couple feet at the most I was tempted to just lie on my back and let the desert buzzards have me. Unluckily for me, I wasn't smart enough to just give up. I was just stubborn enough to force myself to keep going. Yay.

" _Slag_ …" I groaned, dragging myself another couple inches, "I could be- _pit_ … I could be grilling burgers with Josh but- _fuck, shit_ … but no. _Noooo_ , I had to be… a good… _fragging_ …sister."

Muttering under my breath about how unfair the world and my life was truly made this entire experience even worse, but when had I ever been good at shutting the fuck up?

I had gotten halfway to the gas station when I had to stop. Panting for breath, I fell back onto the asphalt and just stared up at the sky, watching as the warm colors were slowing fading and giving way to the night sky. Sweat poured from my face and when I used my forearm to swipe it away it came back bloody. For the briefest second, I thought I was sweating blood and was going to add that to the list of ' _huge fragging problems'_ I was dealing with. However, I remembered getting hit in the face and blood dripping down my nose. The sweat must have smeared with the dried blood I had on my face. Perfect. Just in case I didn't look enough like the walking dead.

The sound of thunder made me flinch. It sounded odd though. It was short rather than long and rumbling. There wasn't a cloud in the sky either so it wasn't going to storm. The odd sound of thunder had come out of nowhere. Was I hearing things or just losing my mind? Honestly, it could be either option at this point.

More noise came, a low rumbling and the whistling of air. It grew louder and the noise was finally recognizable. It was a _jet_. I gritted my teeth and forced myself to sit up again just in time to see a jet in the distance growing larger as it grew closer. Just as it looked like I was going to flattened by said jet, it began to shift mid-air. A slow smile graced my tired features as I recognized that shifting. It was one thing to see it happen in a small house, but to see it happen in grand scale? Metal twisted and turned faster than I could see and a familiar light blue seeker towered above me.

" _Fuck_." I breathed in relief as glowing maroon eyes stared down at me. He had to be a couple feet over 20 feet tall now. If I could stand I'd only barely reach over his knees. That's when it really hit me. Not watching him fly over or transform, but right now in _this_ moment. If he was here, if I was in the same breathing space as Thundercracker, it meant somehow I was in the right universe. Somehow, I had crossed over. "TC…Oh God, TC, is it _you_? Is it actually you because I'm… _I don't know_ …"

Thundercracker didn't move. He just stood there, staring at me, and I wondered if I was wrong. Maybe I wasn't in the right universe. Maybe, and with my garbage luck this was entirely possible, maybe I had crossed over to a universe where the mechs existed, but they didn't know me.

" _Aj_?"

Relief flooded my body and I began to laugh. With every heave of my chest, my body cried out in soreness, but I didn't give a damn. I laughed until tears streaked my cheeks. Thundercracker shifted, he knelt down in front of me, and I just stared at him in wonder. He was so fragging big. His wings stretched out on his back, the purple Decepticon insignia evident on both of them, and I could see my reflection faintly on the glass cockpit on his chest. His eyes were beginning to glow brighter, but that was probably only because the sun had disappeared a while ago and now the light was fading as well.

"How did you come here? We thought…"

"I don't have a fragging clue." I laughed again, "I woke up here maybe fifteen minutes ago-"

"Twenty-one minutes and forty-three seconds ago."

I nodded once, "Uh, yeah, that sounds right, I guess."

Thundercracker cracked a small smile, "That's when I could feel you over the bond again. I nearly fell out of the sky. It…startled me." His smile faltered as if he just thought of something, "Pain. I felt your pain. What happened?"

"I got kneecapped by this asshole the day after y'all left." I sighed and cringed as my happiness gave way for the pain to return. "I can't walk, TC. I don't even think I can stand."

"I can-" He began, but his words stopped as he suddenly stiffened. I watched as his wings slightly shifted up. His lips pressed together, "It's close. It must have caught your sight of your unguarded energy signature."

I shook my head, "What's close?"

"I have to pick you up, do not scream." Thundercracker ignored my question. I gave him a nod and braced myself as he quickly scooped me up off the ground. It was obvious that he was trying not to cause me pain, but the movement couldn't be helped and my vision went black again. When it returned I was gasping for air as Thundercracker's large hand was carefully setting me inside the gas station through a broken window. He put me down behind the counter, it was the only spot he could reach. "You must stay here."

"Wha-What? You can't leave me, TC!" I cried.

"I can't fight the drone while you're with me." He replied, "I will lead it away and come back. My coming back may not even be necessary…if I felt you then everyone else did too."

" _TC_ -!"

The light was gone now and only his eyes stood out. He moved outside and suddenly he was holding something in his hand. It was blinking; bright blue, and he pressed it against the interior wall above my head. The blinking increased in speed until stopping entirely.

"It will hide your signature. Don't make any noise whatsoever." He paused and hesitantly spoke again, "It is…very good to see you again, Aj. You have… You have been missed."

" _Thundercracker_." I started again, but he walked away out of sight. I tried to lift myself up to see out the window, but it was too high up on the wall. The only way I'd see out of it was if I stood and that wasn't happening soon. I could suddenly hear the rumbling of an engine. It was a car, an expensive, powerful one by the sound of it, and it was approaching fast. The engine noise briefly stopped only to be replaced by the sound of metal hitting metal, _hard_. I slapped my hand over my mouth to bite back the squeal of surprise that threatened to spring out. The clashing of metal told me a fight was occurring, but then I could hear the telltale sound of the seeker transforming again.

Thundercracker took off, the loud jets gave it away, and then the sound of an engine returned. This time it was speeding away, growing quieter and quieter. The sound of Thundercracker's jets were beginning to fade away too. Soon, all I could hear was the sound of my own breathing.

I slunk back against the counter Thundercracker had set me against and tried to calm my swirling thoughts. What the hell had just happened? Thundercracker wasn't fighting an Autobot, I could take comfort in that, but what did he mean when he called it a drone? Drone sounded lifeless. It sounded robotic and soulless. So what exactly was happening?

The pain was catching up to me, the exhaustion too, and so I tiredly slumped to the ground with only a small flinch. From where I lay, I could see out the top of the window and the night sky came into my view. The lack of artificial light made every star in the sky fully visible. With slow breaths, I stared into the clusters and clouds of stars until my eyelids drooped shut.

* * *

This time it wasn't pain that woke me up, but instead it was light. My eyes flickered open only to quickly squeeze shut again as sunlight blinded me. I groaned and pushed myself up to the sunlight was no longer directly pouring into my eyes. It took a minute to gather my bearings because it felt like my head was filled with fog.

My body was far from happy. Everywhere was sore, every muscle down to every bone, and my throat was screaming for water. I could feel a headache forming right behind my eyes and the pain of that almost distracted me from the pain in my knee. _Almost_.

I glanced around in hopes to find something that could be used. The gas station was as abandoned as it had been last night only now it was filled with morning light. Every inch of the place was covered in a thick layer of dust and I couldn't help but cringe at the many spider webs I was surrounded by. I lifted my gaze upwards to spot the hunk of metal Thundercracker had pressed into the wall. The drywall around it was cracked from the force, but the strange metal dome had started blinking again.

 _Thundercracker_.

He wasn't back. He said he would come back, but he wasn't here. The entire night had passed and that left me with a sickening worry in my gut. Was he ok? Did the fight end badly for him? It was silly, but I still felt responsible for his safety. Back home, it was my job to keep them safe and keep them undiscovered. The urge to protect him was still at the forefront of my mind which was ridiculous considering he was as big as a small building now.

I spent five minutes just sitting there ignoring my discomforts and hoping my jet friend would land right outside. That was as long as I could do that though. By the end of those five minutes, I was near tearing my hair out. I couldn't just sit here and do nothing. With a grunt, I pushed myself forward so I could open the cabinets under the front counter that I sat behind. The first was filled with empty boxes, a torn kitchen rag of sorts, and trash. The second had more of the same. The third cabinet, which was the longest, required me to shift over to the left more but it was well worth the effort. Inside was a wooden crate filled with old boxes. The boxes, like all the others, were useless to me, but the panels of wood that made up the crate could be used.

Bracing myself, I used my left leg to kick the crate. It took a few tries before the wood broke apart. I grabbed two medium sized pieces and set them in my lap before pulling myself back to the first cabinet for the kitchen towel. Carefully, I placed the wooden planks on either side of my knee. Then I took the kitchen towel and tied it around my calf and the wood. My teeth clenched together to bite back a cry of pain as I made it tight as possible. I pulled my belt off and did the same thing but this time I did it right above my knee, around my thigh.

The makeshift brace would keep me from bending my knee when I attempted the next part of the stupidest plan in the universe.

I took a shaky breath and raised my arms to grasp at the edge of the counter. Then, slowly, I pulled myself up to a standing position. I wasn't dumb enough to try and set weight on my right leg, so I kept one arm on the counter to use as a crutch of sorts.

The main area of the gas station looked like any other I had seen. The entire back wall was made of glass doors that used to store refrigerated drinks, but now it was empty and some of the doors were broken or missing. In the space between here and the back wall were four white aisle dividers that I assumed used to be filled with items. Now, however, the dividers were fallen and the only items I could see were more trash.

To my right was the front of the building. The front door was boarded shut, but the windows on either side were shattered open. To my left was the back of the station. It was a blank wall with a door that either led to bathrooms or outside.

With an irritated sigh, I began to limp forward following the shape of the counter. I got about four steps down when my eyes landed on a bottle of water lying on the floor. It looked about half empty, but half empty was more than I had at this point. Eager, I began to limp faster when a glint of light made me stop in my tracks. The glint was light blue and it flashed in front of me again. I took a hesitant step forward and tilted my head. It was then that I noticed the thin bubble of light in front of me. It traveled up from the floor and over my head. I turned, following the light, and noticed it went all the way back to the machine Thundercracker had pressed against the wall.

He said it'd block my energy signature… was that what this bubble was? Like a strange shield that kept people from reading the signature I gave off? If that were the case, did that mean when I walked through it my signature would turn into a beacon again?

The answer to that last question was probably yes. That meant I probably shouldn't leave the safety of my little bubble, but that water was screaming at me now. I had never been so thirsty in my entire life. It felt like my throat was made of paper and my mouth felt like it was filled with sand. Seeing the water only a few feet away made everything 100 times worse too.

"I can make it." I whispered in a rough, dry voice. It was only about five more steps away from me. I could grab it and come rushing back. I'd only be out of the bubble for a couple seconds, no longer than a minute.

I went back and forth with myself, weighing pros and cons, but finally I couldn't stand it any longer. I rushed forward, at my current pathetic pace, and hurried toward the bottle. It took a bit longer to bend over and scoop it up with jostling my leg to much, but I had it in hand. I turned around and went back to the safety of my bubble, but it took longer going back than it did going toward because the counter was now on the same side as my good leg.

When I finally re-entered the bubble, I immediately sat back down with a groan and unscrewed the bottle. Quickly, I smelled the contents, making sure it was indeed water, and then gorged on its contents. Warm, stale water had never tasted so good before. Of course, the bottle was empty way too soon and I already craved more. Frustrated, I threw the bottle over the counter and listened to it hit the floor and roll away.

Honestly, I wasn't sure how much longer I sat there. This was mostly because every once in a while I would find myself jolting awake with no memory of passing out. The times that I was conscious were spent trying to figure out how I got into this universe. Granted, I was extremely pleased that I did, but by all accounts it made no damn sense whatsoever. Had the explosion had something to do with it? Or maybe the symbol I briefly saw appear on the shed before it blew up? The questions, and lack of answers, made my head hurt so I'd give up thinking about it only to involuntarily come back to it in a few minutes.

I was tightening the kitchen towel around my leg when the sound of an engine made me freeze. The longer I listened the more I realized that it was the engine of a car and not a jet, like I had hoped. Then just when I thought my worries couldn't grow anymore, the engine stalled outside the gas station.

Maybe it was an Autobot. Maybe it was someone I would be more than happy to see. What if it were Barricade though? Would he help me or get back at me for all the times I threw him into the dryer? Even if it were Barricade, I'd still be happy to see him. To some degree, at least.

There was a shifting in the air that I recognized, but it wasn't the telltale sound of one of my mechs transforming. It was the same sound I had heard last night before Thundercracker started fighting.

Loud steps grew closer to the gas station and from where I sat I could see a shiny, bright red leg. The leg was replaced with a face as they bent down and peeked into the window. This couldn't have been a drone, could it? It sounded like the one last night, but it _looked_ like an actual mech. This mech vaguely reminded me of Bumblebee, especially with the battle mask it wore. Except this battle mask was red and black with jagged, neon green glass over where his eyes should be.

"Um. _Hi_." I breathed and tried to find an Autobot or Decepticon insignia somewhere on his body. All I could spot though were the white letters ' _KSI'_ written in small letters on his left chest plate. He didn't reply and slowly tilted his head as if examining me. His gaze filled me with skepticism. The mech began to reach his arm through the window toward me and suddenly the skepticism turned to panic. Was this all because I went for the damn water bottle? I was seriously regretting it now.

The air was suddenly filled with new noise. Another car, this engine deeper and louder, and the easily recognizable sound of a helicopter approaching. The mech crouched down at the window turned his head to look to his left. He yanked his arm back, trying to move, but something hit him in the side and exploded. The force of it sent me sprawling back and my head cracked against the tile floors.

There was a fight happening outside. I could hear the sound of metal on metal, but it was hard to focus on. My vision was blurring and sounds were beginning to fade. Everything was beginning to sound like I was submerged under water.

Shouting. I could make out shouting.

Human shouting? My eyes fluttered as the ceiling tiles above me spun in circles. I had to stay conscious. I had to…my eyes fluttered again and my thoughts swam away. Something loud crashed. It was close. The front of the store?

Then suddenly there was whining in my ear, low whining. It was the only sound I could still make out. Something warm and wet painted the top of my forehead and side of my face. Even through my blurry vision I could make out the shape of a black, tan, and white dog. A dog with one light blue eye and one warm, golden brown eye.

" _Bear_." I croaked and lifted my hand toward him, but I couldn't hold on any longer. My hand fell off to the side and my eyes rolled into the back of my head.

* * *

I woke up in comfort. There was softness under me and around me, I felt clean and fresh, and best of all, there was _no_ pain. I warily opened my eyes, and felt beyond relieved to not see a gutted gas station or vast desert.

Right now, I was in a bed. My right leg was raised up and there was an ace bandage wrapped around it with an even larger brace on top of it that went from mid thigh down to about mid calf. I pushed aside the blanket that covered my left leg and torso so I could see the top of the brace. It was the kind that would prevent me from bending my knee. Glancing around, I recognized my room to be one that belonged in a hospital. There were monitors by my bedside and I had an IV stuck into my left arm. With a sigh, I leaned back into my pillow. The bed was raised up so I was half sitting, half lying back.

Next to the bed, on the right side, was a chair and a bedside table. On the table was a cup. I reached for it, finding water, and immediately downed it all. The IV had rehydrated me to some degree, but boy did the cool water feel amazing going down.

I took in more of my room then. The walls were plain and there were no windows to show the outside. The wall to my left had a clock that read ' _3:10'_ , but I had no idea if that meant AM or PM. The wall to my right had nothing except a door that I expected lead to a bathroom, and the wall ahead was made of glass with an open archway that showed a plain hallway.

" _Hey_!" I yelled out, hoping someone would hear me. A nurse or something. I tried to remember the last thing that had happened before I ended up here. All I could recall was an explosion and pain when my head bounced off a tile floor. I reached toward the back of my head to feel the tender skin where I had fallen. It didn't feel broken open, which was a good sign. I did black out though, which meant concussion and that was not a good sign. I had way too many of those. My brain probably hated me.

Movement in front of me made me lift my gaze. Ratchet's holoform rushed down the hallway, but stopped in the archway. He just stood there and stared at me with wide eyes.

"Who would've thought I'd be so happy to see you, Hatchet." I joked with a grin. Ratchet chuckled and rubbed at his face in the way he did whenever he was tired or worried. I motioned toward my leg, "What's with all the gear?" Ratchet walked over to my bedside and leaned against the railing; his eyes didn't leave my face. I shook my head, "What? Is there something on my face?" I felt my face with my hand and shrugged, "Oh, cool. You got rid of the dried blood."

His eyes flashed, as if he was finally coming to, and he narrowed his eyes at me, "What the pit happened to you?!"

"There's the Ratchet I know and love." I chuckled.

"Blood all over your face, servo sliced open-" He barked and I lifted my left hand to see a white, gauze bandage wrapped around it, "And a broken patella? Your kneecap was broken into _four_ pieces, youngling. _Four_."

My eyes widened, " _Damn_. Guess that explains the sound of grinding bone whenever I moved it."

"Aimee Jane Bradshaw, this is serious-"

I laughed, "Sorry, Ratchet. I'm just so happy to see you."

Ratchet's features softened and he let out a small sigh, "I'm happy to see you as well, Aj. I…I missed you very much."

"Aw, getting all soft on me." I replied, "So what's the prognosis, doc?"

"I'm sorry?"

I motioned toward my leg, "When can I get up?"

Ratchet's eyes widened and he scoffed, "Get up? Did you not _hear m_ e? Your patella was broken into-"

"Four pieces."

" _Four pieces_!" Ratchet repeated, "You had to go into _surgery_ , youngling. Wires and screws were used to force your patella into one whole shape again. You got out of surgery only two hours ago."

My jaw fell open, " _Surgery_? Well slag…"

"You're on medicine right now which is why you don't feel anything, but when that fades you'll be very sore." Ratchet shook his head and moved to look at the machines, "As for getting up? You won't be walking for at least six weeks."

" _Six weeks_!?" I cried and Ratchet shot me a glare. I groaned and sank into my bed. It was silent for a moment as Ratchet glanced over a printout from one of the machines. "So what happened? How did I-"

Ratchet interrupted me, "How did you sustain this injury? Did it appear upon your arrival to this universe?"

"What?" I twisted my face in confusion, "No, I…" I paused, "When I didn't go through the portal, I stuck around the house." Ratchet narrowed his eyes at me and I sighed, "What was I supposed to do? Anyways, I stuck around and…." I made the quick decision to leave out the bit about the mysterious visitors I had, "Boss' brother showed up the next day. One of his guys kneecapped me with a baseball bat."

Ratchet's features crumpled slightly and he looked crestfallen at my words, "How did you get here, Aj?"

I blinked, "Me? I thought…Well, I thought _you_ _guys_ did something."

He shook his head, "We didn't- _couldn't_. We tried _so_ many different things, but…nothing would work."

"Huh." I breathed then shrugged, "We can figure that out later. Hopefully. What I want to know is what happened? How did I get here, specifically?"

Ratchet nodded, "What do you remember? Start from when you first appeared in this universe."

"Ok, so-"

"Wait", Ratchet sat down, "Can I send your account of what happened to others? Optimus and the other officers?"

I shrugged, "Sure, I don't care. It saves me from having to tell it all again, right?" Ratchet nodded and I continued, "Anyways, Boss's brother, his name was Morgan, showed up and I fought back obviously. I used his gun to shoot the chemical shed and it exploded. I thought I was dead, but I woke up on this random ass road in the middle of nowhere. There was a gas station nearby that I tried to get to. That's when…" My eyes widened, " _Thundercracker_!"

"What about him?"

"He showed up!" I cried. "He carried me to the gas station and left me there because…because he said a drone was coming."

Ratchet hummed, "That explains the energy shield we found."

I assumed he was talking about the magic bubble, "Yeah, he left that there and led the drone away, but I haven't seen him since. Is he ok?"

Ratchet shrugged, "I would have no way of knowing, Aj." Right. Autobots and Decepticons don't mingle in this universe. I frowned and Ratchet must have noticed my distress, "I'm sorry."

"That's ok." I mumbled, "Well, I passed out around that time and the next morning some red and black mech showed up for me. That's when something shot him and I cracked my skull against the ground. It's a blur from there."

"Did you leave the safety of the energy shield at any point?"

I scratched the back of my neck sheepishly, "Uh, well yeah. Once. To get water, but I went right back!"

"We couldn't find you. We drove through that area at night, but the energy shield blocked _everything_. We didn't see your signature and assumed you had ended up somewhere else." Ratchet said, "When you exited the shielded area, your signature popped up for us, but also for the drone."

"So it _was_ a drone." I replied, "It looked so… it looked like you guys."

Ratchet shook his head, "Only in features. What you saw was _man made_. It had no spark."

"Man made?" I replied in surprise.

"They had plenty of years to perfect their methods. Plus, once they established ' _transformium'_ as they call it", Ratchet scoffed, "It was quite easy to produce the drones."

I took in his words and slowly shook my head, "… _Years_? You guys never mentioned having to deal with drones back home." Ratchet's eyes locked onto mind and he looked regretful. I blinked, "Ratchet, what aren't you telling me?"

"It isn't import…" He paused to rethink his words, "You should focus on healing, Aj."

The wheels in my head were spinning so fast, I probably had smoke coming out of my ears. I shook my head, "You guys went through the portal yesterday. I followed a day after."

Ratchet sighed, "That isn't entirely true… It is for you. However, it differs for us."

There was a time lapse. He didn't outwardly say it, but I could hear it in his tone. I could read between the lines. I closed my eyes and tried to piece my thoughts together. A memory drifted toward me. A dog licking my face as I tried to cling to consciousness. It had been Bear. I recognized those eyes. The dog licking me though hadn't been a puppy. It had been a _very_ large dog. For Bear to be that big, years had to have passed. At least, four or five.

"How many?" I asked quietly.

"Aj…"

"Four years?" I pressed, my eyes snapping open, " _Five_?"

Ratchet stared at me a bit longer, "The current date is May 2, 2035. We all crossed through the portal a little over twenty years ago, Aj."

I shook my head and tried to bite back the bile that rose from my stomach, "No, no. _No_." The room was starting to tilt. "That's…That's _not_ funny, Ratchet. I don't know if this is some sort of prank- like a, ' _welcome to the universe'_ prank, but it's _not_ funny. It's _not_ funny, Ratchet."

The serious, downcast look on his face didn't change or shift. Twenty years. Twenty years. I swallowed the lump in my throat, "Bear was… He was _there_! I _remember_ him. He _wasn't_ twenty years old, Ratchet! Dogs don't live that long!"

Ratchet sighed, "Going through the portal had some…strange effects. Us, Cybertronians, weren't affected, but everything organic was. For Bear, the effect was positive. His life expectancy grew. We didn't truly realize this until he turned 11 years old and still behaved and had the health of a puppy. Though he is actually 20 years old now, he has the body and mind of a four year old dog."

Suddenly, the twenty-year thing didn't matter to me. Sure, I would panic more about it later, but Ratchet's words had flipped my stomach. He made it sound like Bear was the _only_ one with a positive effect. There were other organics that went through the portal.

" _Ratchet_ …" I said in a broken voice.

He shook his head, "I have duties I need to check up on and you have visitors that will be kicking down my door if I wait any longer. I'm only allowing one in for now. She can answer your questions. I'll be back." Ratchet turned to leave, but paused and came back toward me. He set one hand on my shoulder, squeezing it comfortingly, and leaned toward me, "I know this is a lot to take in, youngling, but everything will work out. I am…I am _so_ _relieved_ to see you here."

I couldn't bring myself to reply. He gave me one last nod and squeeze before walking back out the way he came in. There were so many questions hanging off the end of my tongue. I pitied whoever would have to come and deal with me now and I didn't blame Ratchet for bowing out.

Every question was shoved to the back of my mind when I heard a bark and nails on the tile floor. My eyes widened as Bear skidded past the archway, tongue hanging out. A second passed before he sprinted into the room and jumped onto the bed, landing on my stomach. I let out a breath of air followed by a laugh as the large dog curled up on me. Bear looked like a small bear now with how big he was. Obviously, his muzzle had grown out and he looked older, but his eyes were still as bright and playful as they had always been. He soaked my face with kisses as I rubbed his sides.

" _Bear_!" I laughed and let him bury his head against my chest, "I missed you too, buddy."

I was so distracted by Bear, that I didn't notice two people standing in the doorway staring at me. My gaze lifted to them after a moment and at the sight of them any question that had been shoved to the back of mind were completely forgotten now.

One was a young woman, maybe around my age, her long, dirty blonde hair was tied up in a high, messy ponytail. She was slim and petite, maybe just a little taller than me. She wore a white tank top, with a leather jacket over it and black skinny jeans. She had a light skin tone with a slightly oval face. Her dark blue eyes looked watery, but her lips were upturned into a pretty smile.

The guy next to her was very tall with muscled shoulders and a strong physique. He also had an oval face with brown scruff along his jawline and around his mouth. His hair was short and messy, a very light shade of brown. He wore camouflage army pants with white t-shirt tucked into them and tan boots. Around his neck was a pair of dog tags. His dark blue eyes were twinkling in amusement and he had a bright grin on his face.

"You're gonna drown her, Bear." The man called out with a chuckle.

" _Oh my God_." The woman breathed and hastily wiped at her eyes, "Oh my God, it really _is_ you."

The man glanced down at her, "I told you it was her. I went out and got her and you _still_ doubted me?"

"Shut up, just shut up." She replied then sniffled.

He rolled his eyes, "Are you really gonna cry? You're embarrassing me, sis."

She turned and punched him in the chest making him stumble back with a laugh. I just sat there and stared at the two very familiar, yet unfamiliar, people. They were siblings. More than that, they were _twins_.

"No _fucking_ way." I mumbled in disbelief.

The guy smirked and pointed at me, "Language, Auntie Aj. You don't want to poison our young minds do you?"

The woman rushed forward and stood hesitantly by my bedside. She bit down on her bottom lip and shook her head, "I know this is _so_ weird and I don't blame you if you need some space, but I really, _really_ want to hug you right now."

" _Taylor_?" I asked quietly. She bobbed her head quickly and clasped her hands together tightly. A disbelieving chuckle slipped from my lips, "When have you ever had to _ask_ to hug me, kiddo?"

She let out a strangled, happy sob and flung her arms around me tightly. Bear whined unhappily, now having to share me, but shifted to make room for her. I pat her back and hugged her as best as I could. It was hard with a huge dog in my lap, a broken knee, and being on a bed, but I made do.

"Is that your fucking twin brother?" I asked while staring at Tyler in shock.

He strolled over to the other side of my bed, "You know it. Hi again."

Taylor pulled away and Tyler bent over to give me a tight hug of his own. I clung him to as best I could as well until he pulled away. I let my gaze travel from him back to her then back to him.

"I think I'm having a seizure."

They both laughed, but Taylor was the one who spoke up, "You're telling us. I nearly had a heart attack when Ratchet told me the portal in Oregon opened up again."

"Oregon? Wait, where are we?"

"Nevada." Tyler answered, "Military base."

I nodded, "I hope you realize that was question one of _two billion_."

Taylor nodded, "I'm going to stay and answer as many as I can. While, of course, asking my own. I have _just_ as many."

"And I have a meeting that I should probably go to." Tyler replied, "If I miss another, Prowl _might_ just step on me. Hell, he might just step on me for being late again."

Taylor rolled her eyes, "I told you to just go."

"And miss greeting my long lost aunt? I think not."

"Kid, you're leaving already?" My eyebrows furrowed together. I didn't want to lose sight of him again. The last time I did, he aged fucking twenty years.

Tyler smiled at me, "Don't worry, I'll be back later. Also, you _can't_ really call us kids anymore. You missed our birthday last week." Their birthday was on April 26. I had been looking forward to celebrating with them on their 7th birthday. I wanted to do the job an aunt was supposed to do and spoil them rotten. "We're twenty six now."

My mind blanked, " _What_?"

"That's right", Tyler sang and backpedaled toward the archway, "We're the same age now. How nuts is that?" It was nuts enough that I thought my head was going to start spinning on top of my neck. Tyler whistled, "Come on, Bear."

The dog didn't even move an inch. Tyler whistled again and I rubbed the back of his neck, "Go on, Bear."

Bear licked my face a few more times before hoping down off the bed. I watched him walk toward Tyler before shaking my head, "Wait, I have one question for you before you go."

"Sure. Anything."

"Why is your hair brown?" I pressed.

Tyler blinked before bursting into laughter, "That's what you want to ask me? After twenty years?" I nodded and he grinned and shrugged, "As we got older, Taylor and I's hair just got darker." I glanced at Taylor's dirty blonde hair in question. Tyler's smirk widened and spoke in a stage whisper, "Taylor dyes her hair blonde."

" _Shut up_!" Taylor stuck out her bottom lip, "Tyler, will you just go to your damn meeting?"

"Later, Aj." Tyler lifted is hand in a wave, "Missed you bunches."

I watched him walk away with Bear bouncing at his steps. Taylor sat on the edge of bed, kicking off her boots and sitting criss cross facing me, on the left side away from my leg. She just smiled and stared at me and I couldn't help but stare back. With a chuckle, I shook my head, "Taylor, you're gorgeous."

Her cheeks flushed red and she glanced down at her lap with a smile, "Oh, please."

"No, I mean, you were a pretty little girl and I always knew you'd grow up to be as pretty as your mom, but…" I smiled warmly. She had grown up. My little Taylor was honest to God grown up now and I couldn't really wrap my head around that entirely. This was the little girl who less than 72 hours ago had tried to shove a full sized Barbie play house into her school bag, the little girl who chopped all her hair off with play scissors to look like me, the one who bravely held her brother's hand and walked through a portal without a single glance back.

"Thanks, Aj." She replied softly, "I know you have questions, but can I ask you a few first?" I nodded and she leaned on her knees with her elbows, "What happened?"

I spent the next few minutes telling her exactly what I told Ratchet. She didn't seem surprised to hear that her Aunt had a Vegas mob boss going after her so I figured it was something someone had told her over the last twenty years. I sure as hell didn't let her know that information as a six year old.

Tyler must have told her about my rescue from the gas station of hell too because she didn't seem surprised at that. She hummed thoughtfully, "I thought maybe your knee was because of the portal, but I guess it kind of makes sense that it wasn't. It supports Jackie's theory at least."

My eyes widened, "What happened? When you guys went through the portal? Ratchet said- and _Bear_! Bear's apparently going to live forever."

Taylor giggled, "The Bear thing was a shock that's for sure." She sighed and her smile faltered, "They don't think it was the portal itself that caused the damage, they think it was the act of crossing universes and the length of our energy signatures. Tyler, Pete, and I…our effects weren't immediate. They developed over time." She shrugged, "For me, I had some pretty extensive nerve damage. Gradually, starting at my neck and going down, I was losing my sense of touch. I could move just fine, but I couldn't _feel_ things. We didn't notice it until basically my entire left arm was numb from all touch." She shrugged out of her olive green leather jacket and set it aside. Taylor turned slightly so I could see the flat metal plate across the resting at the back of her neck. The skin around it and faint, purple techno lines that went up her neck, but they weren't overly noticeable. The plate itself was though. "Ratchet, Jackie, and Percy- oh, _sorry_ , um Perceptor. He's a mech I'm sure you'll meet eventually. They built this to interact with my nervous system. It allows me to use my sense of touch, but it only lasts a couple months. After about two months the numbness starts to creep up again and they have to replace it."

"Oh my God." I breathed and reached forward to brush my fingers against he cool, metal plate. "Does it hurt?"

Taylor turned around and shook her head, "Not a bit."

"What about your brothers?"

"Pete started losing his sight." Taylor answered, "Like mine, it was gradual, and his vision had always been bad so nobody panicked about it until he lost all sight in his right eye." Taylor's fingers played with the edge of the hospital gown by my thigh, "They couldn't save his vision in his right eye, but they were able to fix his left eye. If you look close enough you can see this ring around his iris. They implanted it to keep his sight."

"And Tyler?" I was almost afraid to ask. He looked healthy when he came in.

Taylor nodded, "His was the slowest actually. Tyler started to lose his hearing. He still has severe hearing loss, about an 80-decibel loss. They made him these special hearing aids to wear that really help him out, but when he doesn't have them he mostly relies on lip reading. He turned out to be a natural." She grinned, "He also knows sign language. Sideswipe helped him learn."

She spoke so nonchalant about all of it. It made sense this was something they had lived with for two decades now, but hearing it for the first time still put a pit of fear in my gut. I couldn't help but worry. It's what I did.

"I mean, the damage was pretty bad overall, but we were taken care of. Besides, it wasn't like the mechs knew any of that was going to happen." Taylor added. "Jackie blamed himself for a long time. I think he blamed himself on you not coming through the portal too."

I shook my head, "None of that was his fault."

Taylor shrugged, "I know that, _everyone_ knows that, all but Wheeljack that is. Sometimes I still catch him looking at us and I can just tell he hasn't completely let it go. Usually it's around the time I have to have my plate changed or if Tyler needs new aids."

"I'll kick his giant metal aft if he even _tries_ to apologize for me getting left behind." I scoffed and Taylor laughed, "What?"

She continued laughing, "It took Ironhide and Smokescreen to keep him from coming to see you. Finally, Ratchet had to threaten to weld him to his lab bench to keep him away. Ratchet was adamant about you adjusting before being exposed to everyone. He only let me in because I'm such a charmer." I chuckled as she batted her eyelashes jokingly. "If the medic had caught sight of Tyler sneaking in he would've lost it."

The two of us chuckled over the shared thought of Ratchet losing his processors over who did or didn't visit me and at what time. When the chuckles had died down I tried to get back on track to what I needed to know.

"What about Wes and- your mom and dad?" I corrected myself and nervously cleared my throat.

The smile she had fell off her face completely and I felt my heart stop. She noticed this and shook her head, "Mom is fine. 100% fine, actually. Nothing happened to her going through the portal. She was at Annabelle, Lex, and Eli's school for Annabelle's cheer competition, but she's on her way back now." Half of that sentence meant nothing to me considering I didn't know who those names belonged to, but I waited for her to continue, "When Dad went through the portal, the effect was immediate for him. He was paralyzed from waist down. He couldn't walk."

"What?" I squeaked.

"He never let that beat him though." Taylor added warmly, "He was still good ol' Dad. But… About 14 years ago, he- he died." I could feel the blood leave my face, Taylor kept talking, "There was an attack on the base. A _lot_ of people died actually."

Wes was dead? I spent years wishing the guy was dead, but now that I sat here hearing those words all I felt was sadness. Wes was a good guy. He cared about his family and he didn't deserve the hate I used to have toward him. I quickly did the math and realized the kids had only been 13 when it happened.

"I'm so sorry, Tay." I said softly. She shrugged with a small smile and I shook my head, "God, I should've been here. For all of you…"

"That wasn't your fault. It couldn't be helped." Taylor reached forward and set her hand on mine, "Besides, you're here now, and we're all really happy about that. We all worried that you were by yourself for twenty years, but look at you. Only a day passed."

I still wasn't entirely sure if that was a curse or a blessing. With a forced smile, I spoke, "So, tell me everything that happened on your end."

"What do you want to know?" Taylor pressed.

I wanted to know everything, but I knew she probably wouldn't be able to give me every detail I wanted. A lot of the stuff that happened probably went over her head since she was so young. It would be better if I asked a mech, or Aubrey. However, there was still I wanted to know.

"Tell me about you, silly." I replied with a grin, "What are you doing now? How was your childhood living with the mechs? Do you have a family of your own? I want _all_ the details."

Taylor chuckled, "Growing up with the mechs was amazing. We could count on them for _everything_ and we got to meet _so_ many more mechs and femmes. I can't wait until you meet Arcee or Flare-up. They're going to _love_ you." She crossed her arms, "I just wish you had been here with us. _Everything_ would've been better.."

I scoffed, "Oh come on, Tay. I was around you and your brothers for like three months. How much do you even really remember me?"

Taylor's smile fell and her eyebrows scrunched together in distress, "Don't say that!" My eyes widened and her lips pressed together. She sighed, "You're right, you weren't around for long, but… You meant the _world_ to us. I think I cried every night for a year after we got here." I licked my bottom lip and glanced away, but she continued, "Those three months were _so_ important to us. You have no idea the impact you left on us."

I smiled and glanced back at her. To me it sounded like a bit of an exaggeration, but I didn't push further, "Thanks, Taylor."

She returned the smile, "Anyways, um… I graduated high school a year early and went to college in Arizona. Bumblebee came with me, he's still my guardian, obviously." She paused in thought, "I graduated with honors and went on to get my Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering."

"No shit?" I beamed in pride, "That's amazing, Taylor!"

Her face lit up at my praise, "Yeah, that was about four years ago now. After getting my degree I came here to work with Ratchet. He's been teaching me Cybertronian anatomy since then so I can help him in the medbay."

" _Seriously_?" I asked in worry, "What about energon poisoning? Isn't dangerous to be in their medbay?"

She nodded, "Yes, but we take precautions. I have this suit I have to wear at _all_ times. Did you really think worry-wart Ratchet would let me near energon otherwise?"

That was a solid point. I let out a breath of relief.

She readjusted her position and continued, "And as for a family, I'm not even dating anyone right now so that's a big no."

"Good." I replied, "You're too young."

Taylor laughed, "We're the same age."

I groaned, "Uh, don't say that. It's _so_ weird… What about Tyler? He was wearing dog tags."

"Oh yeah." She nodded, "After high school, he joined the ARMY. He's a Sergeant Major now and works with NEST. It's the military division here." I easily recognized the acronym, but didn't comment on it. "He mostly works with Special Operations under Jazz." Taylor must have noticed my worry because she grinned, "And before you ask, the mechs made him a special suit for all his missions since he's the only human to take orders directly under a mech rather than the Colonel in charge of NEST. He's the most protected soldier out there."

I nodded, "And Pete?"

"He works with Prowl in Intelligence and Strategy. He has since…2025?" Taylor glanced away in thought then quickly shook her head, "Wait, no. 2026. He started the same year I graduated high school."

I nestled into the bed and cringed when my leg started to ache a bit, but Taylor didn't notice. I smiled, "Tell me more about y'all's life. I want as many details as you can stand to give me."

Taylor grinned and began retelling as many memories as she could recall.

* * *

Las Vegas High School wasn't an overly large school. In total, it had around 3,000 students, which compared to other schools in the system was rather small. However, the building for the school was more than accommodating for all the students with room for more. In fact, right now, the large gymnasium was filled with a good portion of the LVHS school population, plus many students from other high schools who were eager to see the State Championships for Cheerleading.

LVHS had an amazing cheer team and their chances of making it to Nationals looked really good, but to do so they needed to perform well today and earn a substantial score. This would come easy if Chelsea Scott didn't lose her balance in the final twist and if Emily Tipp actually showed up despite missing the past two practices.

Eli Epps knew all the details of the cheer squad. In fact, in his opinion he felt like he knew _too_ much. However, one of his closest friends was the cheer squad captain and as her friend he'd give up more than a few hours listening to her rant about her troubles worries whether it be about schoolwork, cheerleading, or soccer. It went both ways though, she probably felt like she knew too much about the school's marching band too.

"It's going take nine years just to find a seat in here." Lex Witwicky groaned from beside him, while standing at the entrance for the gymnasium. She was another student who knew the inner workings of the soccer team, cheer squad, and marching band just by association. Like Eli, her freshman year in high school had been rather successful, but she was more than happy about the fact that the school year ended in a month. "Do you see Aubrey and Hide anywhere? They said they'd save us seats."

Eli, who had been absorbed in his phone, glanced up at the short girl beside him. The light brown skinned freshman turned her head to stare at him with quizzical dark gray eyes. He gave his friend of many years a sheepish smile and shrugged, "I didn't hear a word of what you just said, L."

Lex groaned and hung her head back in exasperation, "What's so important on your phone? Who are you messaging?" Her eyes brightened as she quickly looked back to Eli making her thick, dark brown braid whip around her. "Is it Ashley? Are you finally talking to Ashley?"

Eli could feel his cheeks burn in embarrassment, as he quickly shook his head, "No!" Despite his dark skin, he felt like the entire gym would be able to see the shade of embarrassment he probably wore. "I told you, I don't like her like that."

"Well she is in love with you." Lex replied with a smile and shake of her head.

Eli sighed, "I was texting Blaster. He's heading this way. He said he's gonna pick us up today."

"Really? I thought Hide was here. To watch Annabelle's competition." Lex motioned toward the gym floor where teams were setting up and warming up. Eli shrugged in response. Blaster had just said he'd explain later.

The two of them moved away from the door to try and look for a familiar face in the sea of people. When Eli caught sight of a blonde wearing the red and black LVHS cheer uniform coming their way, he grabbed Lex's hand forcing her to come to a stop. The cheerleader wore the same uniform and hairstyle as all the others in her squad. A black, long sleeve top with red accents and the letters LVHS printed across her chest in white. Her lightly tanned navel was showing and her black skirt matched her top. Her long, light blond hair was tied into a high ponytail with the ends curled loosely and there was a giant white bow at the base of her ponytail. Annabelle Lennox was a junior in high school and the current captain of the cheer team. Eli and Lex had spent the entire past weekend listening to how excited she was about today, but as she hurried over to them all they could see in her grayish blue eyes were worry.

"Hey, AB. What's wrong?" Lex asked first with wide eyes.

Annabelle shook her head, "Aubrey and Hide just left."

"What? Why?" Eli asked curiously. He couldn't help but wonder if this had something to do with Blaster coming to pick them up.

"Hide got a call from base." Annabelle replied quietly. The loud gym made it impossible for anyone around them to hear, but they remained cautious anyways. "They said Aubrey needed to be there ASAP."

Worry filled all three of them, but Lex was the one to speak up again, "Do you think it's an attack?"

Annabelle shook her head, "I don't think so. Do you… Do you guys remember the story of how Aubrey, Taylor, and Tyler came through a portal forever ago?"

"Vaguely." Eli replied.

"I heard Hide tell Aubrey that the portal opened again." She continued, "I think someone came through."

Lex scoffed, "Like a _whole_ person this time?"

Annabelle shrugged and the three remained quiet for a moment as this new information was rolled around in their minds. Eli shook his head and gave the slightly older girl a smile, "Hey, I'm sure everything is fine. You just focus on today."

Lex noticed the worry remained on her face and jumped in, "Yeah, Eli's gonna record your whole routine on his xScreen." At her words, Eli pulled out his phone from his pocket and held up the thin, see-through screen. "Then this weekend we can all watch it together."

"Thanks, guys." Annabelle stepped forward and pulled both of them into a tight hug, "I don't know what I'd do without you two."

"Um, Blaster is coming to pick us up afterward and is probably gonna take us to base." Eli said, "Do you need a lift?"

Annabelle shook her head with a smile, "I'm going to stay to help clean up. Hide said he'd swing back to pick me up anyway. He said he'd bring my Dad along too, if he was done with meetings for the day."

Lex and Eli said their farewells and 'good luck' one final time before finding seats high up on the stadium styled seats. Eli watched as Lex shrugged out of her thing jacket revealing a simple, t-shirt. He pointed to her braid, "Hey, your braid is falling apart."

"Hm?" Lex glanced at him then felt her loose braid. She smiled and resorted to the old nicknames they had grown up using, "Oh, thanks, E."

Growing up on and off a secret military base was definitely something that shaped all of their lives. Overall, Eli loved growing up with his Dad being in the Air Force. If it weren't for his family's military ties, he never would have met Lex or Annabelle and they were his best friends without a doubt.

 _'See you soon, Eli buddy_!' The text from Blaster flashed across his xScreen. Without his family's military ties, he wouldn't know his guardian Blaster either. He wouldn't know any of the Cybertronians he had grown so close to.

"How does it look?" Lex questioned to show him the braid she had quickly redone. The streak of light blue, usually on the underside of her hair, was more visible now. Eli could still mentally picture the look on her father's face when he first saw it a few months back.

"It looks good." He replied as the cheer tournament was slowly beginning. He activated the video recorder on his xScreen and lifted it up, ready to record.

* * *

My eyes cracked open revealing a blurry world around me. Taylor had been telling me about Tyler's senior year in high school and how he almost got expelled for filling the third floor with livestock as a senior prank. Why was I sleeping?

"She's waking up." A familiar voice breathed, but I couldn't keep my eyes open.

"Give it a moment for the medicine to kick in."

There was warmth at the crook of my left elbow that traveled down then up my arm. It seemed to fill my entire body and slowly the world around me became clearer. The ache in my knee subsided again and the first thing I saw was Ratchet standing on the left side of my bed toying with my IV.

"What happened?" I groaned.

I looked to my right to see one very familiar holoform. Like Ratchet, Optimus Prime looked the same. The only difference was he wore a dark green, ARMY uniform with the sleeves rolled up. My eyes drifted down to the chair he stood behind and my mind came to a stand still.

It was Aubrey. She still looked as stunning as ever, wearing a white blazer over a light pink blouse and jeans. The only difference was the extra wrinkles around her eyes and more prominent smile lines. She had been crying, I could tell because of her slightly messed up mascara, but a wide grin lit up her face.

"Damn, Aubs. You got old." I joked with chuckle.

She rose from the chair and wrapped her arms around me, sobbing into my neck. I glanced at Ratchet questioningly and he nodded, "The medicine wore off and your pain, along with exhaustion, returned. You dozed off with Taylor." What kind of medicine _gave_ me energy, kept my mind _crystal clear_ , and kept pain away? What sort of miracle drug was Ratchet pumping into my veins? Then again it was the year 2035. Who knew what kind of medical advances humans stumbled across?

"I'm so sorry for ever leaving you, Aimee." Aubrey pulled away.

I shook my head, "Come on, now. It wasn't your fault. Besides…to me it felt like you were only gone for a day." A sad smile flittered across my face, "I'm sorry I wasn't here for you." She shook her head, as if arguing, but I continued, "I heard about Wes, Aubs. I'm so sorry."

She wiped away her fresh tears and sighed, "You have nothing to be sorry about. I'm so glad you're here. I'm so glad you're safe."

I let my eyes drag back over to Optimus who was smiling softly a few steps behind her, "Hey there, OP. Long time no see, apparently."

"It's nice to see you again, Aj. You were missed more than words could describe." He replied.

Aubrey sat against the edge of my bed so she could hold my hand in hers tightly. I squeezed her hand in return and carefully let my eyes dart from Ratchet, to Aubrey, and then finally back to Optimus Prime. I cleared my throat, "I don't know if you have the time, OP, but I got a hell of a lot of questions to ask you."


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: **READ THIS DAMN IT.** Ok, so I've had a few people comment about the "world" this takes place in. Bayverse? G1? The answer is neither. What I'm doing here is combing it all together. Elements of Bayverse and the G1 universe are gonna show up, but I'm not pulling a storyline of sorts from either. I'm making my own path here. Does that clear it up a bit? So if you like hate Bayverse or something don't freak out or whatever. Cool? Oh and also, does anyone like making covers for stories? Because I'm God awful at it and would love a cover for Small Fry and Lil'Bit. PM if you're interested._

 _Lastly, thanks for all the lovely reviews guys ^.^_

 _They 100% made my day and I'm glad you guys are as pumped to read this story as I am to write it!_

* * *

Chapter Two:

Twenty Years

* * *

 _"You're funny, and you're smart, and you may show up late, but you always show up eventually." –John Green (Paper Towns)_

* * *

"What would you like me to first discuss?" Optimus asked. He sat down in the chair that Aubrey had abandoned and laced his fingers together in his lap. Ratchet continued to buzz around the IV with a frown.

I shrugged, "The beginning? That way I'd at least be able to follow along chronologically."

Optimus bobbed his head once and let his gaze fall downward in thought. Aubrey squeezed my hand reassuringly, shooting a smile in my direction. The Autobot leader lifted his gaze back to mine, "When we first arrived back in this universe it was December 2014."

" _2014_?" I already interrupted him. "What?"

"We had always worried how the others in this universe, our comrades, handled our absence but as it turns out we didn't have to worry about that at all."

Ratchet spoke up, "We were gone from this universe for a total of 34 Earth seconds."

I blinked in surprise, "Trippy."

"Taylor has told me that you know of everyone's condition coming through the portal." Optimus said.

"Yeah, she did", I interrupted again, "How is it that Aubrey was the only one who didn't have any side effects? Am I like her or should I expect some serious problems in the next week?"

Ratchet shook his head, "We have no way of telling if you will deteriorate over time, we just have to monitor that, but if my theory is correct then you should be just like your sister."

"Theory?"

"Both of you have those rare, incredibly short energy signatures. Remember?" Rather pressed and I nodded, "Wes had a normal human energy signature and was effected the worse. The younglings had very short signatures, but they were still longer than both your sister and yourself. They had a reaction of coming to this universe, but it wasn't as severe as Wes'. Bear, well he is of a different species all together in the same way we Cybertronians are. That's why he had a positive effect and we had none at all." He readjusted the IV then turned to face us completely, "I think…I think that _somehow_ that short energy signature gave you an immunity to any ill effects. _Why_? I wouldn't know. I've had Perceptor doing most of the research into that topic during times when the war hasn't overwhelmed us."

I let that soak in and nodded, "Oh."

It wasn't just pure luck then. A thought occurred to me. The Defenders. Mysterious Asshole #1 and Mysterious Asshole #2 had talked about them when they showed up in my foyer. They had said that Aubrey and I had the genes or whatever to become one due to our family line and that the kids didn't because Wes was normal or whatever. It fit perfectly. Mysterious Asshole #2 had mentioned that the Defenders protected multiple universes or something along those lines. Did that mean crossing through and arriving at different ones? Maybe that's why Aubrey and I could handle the trip. It was something I should probably share with the class, but I couldn't bring myself to say it. I'd keep this one to myself for now.

"Would you like me to continue, Aj?" Optimus' voice broke my train of thought. I glanced around to notice all three of them were looking at me in concern.

I forced a smile and nodded, "Yeah, I'd like that. I promise to try and not interrupt too."

"Interruptions are fine. Ask about your confusions as we proceed." Optimus chuckled then continued, "January of 2015, we were able to make contact with our home world of Cybertron. The war had continued there to some degree, but because the bulk of the Decepticons, this including Megatron, had been trapped dormant on Earth for so long the war had dwindled. Cybertron was mostly peaceful again with only a few Decepticon squadrons causing mayhem here and there. However, at this discovery the decepticon patches on Cybertron were… _motivated_ to fight harder. They came out of hiding and the fight came back to life.

"That same year during June, a deal was made between the Autobots and the US Government." Optimus continued, "An alliance. Due to the creation of this alliance, a new base was created. It was named the ' _Universal Humans Autobot Co-Alliance_ ' Base, or the UHAC for short. It's where you currently are. We chose this location in Nevada because like your home, it has a pocket of special energy that we can use to grow and harvest energon crystals for fuel."

Aubrey spoke up, "We're about an hour and a half from Las Vegas. It's where the kids went to school growing up."

Las Vegas? I was an hour and a half away from the same place Morgan wanted to drag my ass to back in our universe? The irony wasn't lost on me.

"Only a human month later, the ' _Non-biological Extraterrestrial Species Team_ ' was created." Optimus said.

I rolled the long ass title around in my head and my eyes widened, " _NEST_. NEST was formed, but I thought…"

NEST was the military group from the movie. Didn't the kids say these guys weren't from the movie? They were from the G1 series?

"How much do you remember from the movies, Aj?" Ratchet questioned. Aubrey's eyes turned questioning for a moment before they slowly widened in realization.

I shrugged, "I've only ever seen the first movie completely and that was with y'all, remember? I was sick the entire time, but I caught onto a few things here and there. Why?"

"Aspects from the movies have occurred in this universe. They have mostly been details and some were wrong entirely, but still." Ratchet replied.

Aubrey pulled my attention to her, "It's different for us here. The kids and Wes, within the first month they forgot all about the movies and cartoons and comics." My eyes widened but she continued, "They remembered coming from a place where the Cybertronians were part of a popular media and they remember being fans and having the toys, but they couldn't recall any of the movie details when the mechs asked them."

"And you?"

She shrugged, "I still remember some things, but so much time has passed that it just sort of…faded. I was able to recite most of the details for the mechs to keep a hard copy of, in case of emergencies, but now? Most of it's gone from my head."

"You think I'll be like you in that way too?"

No one really answered my question, but that didn't matter because I was already vaguely aware of what the answer would be.

Optimus cleared his throat, "Wes helped us fill the NEST ranks. His background made his opinion valuable and we trusted him unlike some of the human politicians they tried to have head the operation." I couldn't help but snort at that statement and Optimus smiled. "Two soldiers who were recruited into the program originally have grown beside us and they are now trusted as leaders of NEST."

"Lemme guess", I grinned, "Lennox and Epps. They were the two main soldiers in Transformers one, at least."

Optimus chuckled while Aubrey squirmed in her spot a bit, "You are correct. Colonel William Lennox and USAF Lieutenant Colonel Robert Epps are both heads of the division, trusted allies, and deeply regarded friends." He paused briefly before continuing, "The next few years were spent trying to build a space bridge. It was a slow process because of the materials at hand and because we needed the government's permission, but in 2018 the spacebridge was established, located between your moon and the planet Mars. This bridge was going to allow us to travel to Cybertron for supplies and for assistance on either side. At that point, leaving Earth for good was not an option because we knew Megatron and his mechs would stay behind to terrorize and colonize Earth as they saw fit."

I pressed my lips together at his words. The Megatron I had gotten to know wouldn't have done that. From the sound of it though, he had come back through and become his old self. It was disappointing to hear and I could hardly believe it.

"What we weren't aware of though was that the Decepticon forces on Cybertron were in the process of stealing the Allspark." I recognized the term and nodded, "They almost succeeded, but Autobot forces still stationed on Cybertron stopped them, however…a portion of it, a _shard_ , was broken off and it drifted too close to the spacebridge. The energy activated the bridge, both on their side and ours, and the shard fell through. By time our radars noticed it, the shard was lost somewhere on Earth and we were thrust into a race with the Decepticons to find it."

I clicked my tongue, "A race to find the Allspark? Or piece of? That kind of sounds like-"

"The first movie." Ratchet replied gravely.

In that second, I felt my heart stop. The first movie. Megaton died in that movie, however they kept talking about the war and without Megatron the war would be over, right? However, there was another mech that died in the movie. A mech that was very important to me, one that hadn't broken Ratchet's rules and visited yet. One that no one had even mentioned to me once.

" _Jazz_?" I breathed in panic, "Jazz is he-?!"

"Jazz is _fine_ , youngling." Ratchet replied, "He, like many other mechs, were injured during that time, but he wasn't offlined. Not like in the movie."

I let out a sigh of relief, "Where is he? And the twins too? I mean, I know you put a ' _no visiting Aj'_ rule up, but if anyone was going to ignore that rule-"

Ratchet nodded, "It'd be those three." He shook his head, "Jazz and Bumblebee are both on a mission. The mission they're on requires radio silence and won't be complete for another four weeks at the most. They know you're back though, I'm sure. We can feel it."

"As for the twins", Optimus said, "They've been stationed at our base in Australia for the past two years. However, moments after you came through the portal they sent in the transfer data sheets asking to be relocated to the UHAC."

"I keep telling him to ignore their request." Ratchet scoffed.

"By feel it, do you mean the bond?" I pressed.

Ratchet nodded, "For the last twenty years, your bond has been there, but it's been distant. It wasn't painful, but it was uncomfortable to a degree. When you showed up in Oregon though, the bond flared back to life. The first thing we could feel was your pain and confusion."

"Right." I nodded and smiled to myself. Jazz, Sideswipe, and Sunstreaker were ok. They were alive. "What happened then? With the allspark shard?"

"It was found by a boy-" Ratchet began.

My eyes widened, "Oh my God, _Shia LaBeouf_?"

Ratchet glared at me, "His _name_ is Samuel Witwicky."

"Same difference."

Optimus smiled and picked up the story from there telling me about how some mech named Smokescreen became the guardian for Sam Witwicky and Mikaela Banes. I wondered if this was because Bumblebee was so dead set on staying Taylor's guardian. Regardless, the two teens got involved in the Cybertronian mess. Peter, who was two years younger than them at 14, and the twins, who were 10, met both teens but none of them were caught up in the violence that came from the battle in Mission City for the shard. Unlike in the movie though, the shard was contained by the Autobots and shipped back to Cybertron before the government could even request tests be done. There were no Autobot casualties, but apparently three Decepticons bit the dust during the battle. Optimus said their names, Scorponok, Blackout, and Bonecrusher, but it wasn't any that I recognized. To be honest, I felt relief that none of the Decepticons I had grown to know had died.

"We had a few quiet years after that. Battles still occurred, but the Decepticons made no large movements against us or the humans." Optimus sighed, "However, in 2022 this base was attacked."

I frowned and squeezed Aubrey's hand. I had a bad feeling that I knew where this was going. This must have been the attack that Wes died during. The look Aubrey gave me confirmed this.

"We fought them off successfully, bringing in reinforcements from our Shanghai base that was recently formed, but our loss was great."

I took a shaky breath, "I know Wes died, but…did you lose…was there anyone else that I…"

Optimus shook his head, "873 humans were lost, but I believe Wes was the only one you were familiar with. Two Autobots were lost then. A Recordabot named Ramhorn and a Minibot named Cliffjumper. Both were good mechs."

I felt bad that the Autobots had lost two good friends, but still the relief I felt that it wasn't one of my mechs was damn near palpable. I shook my head, "I know what a Minibot is, like Bee, but what's a Recordabot?"

"Do you remember how Soundwave had mini-cassettes?" Ratchet asked and I nodded, "Those were the Recordacons. We have a mech here named Blaster and he has his own mini-cassettes."

"And he lost one?" I furrowed my eyebrows together as they all nodded. Geez, I couldn't imagine how bad that must have been for this Blaster mech. The way the mechs made it sound, the cassettes were like kids to Soundwave. Losing a kid? _Damn_.

"Tyler, Taylor, and Peter weren't there for the attack." Aubrey said, "They were in California with Bumblebee and Bluestreak. Visiting Disneyland. Wes and I were supposed to go with them, a family trip, but something came up. We didn't want to spoil their summer so we let the mechs take them."

I closed my eyes and sighed. They had come back to a broken base and a dead father. What I would've given to be there. Despite the danger, I wished I had been there for all of them. Even if it were just for moral support. The more I heard the worse I felt. I had made a promise to those kids, and despite trying my absolute best it still fell through.

"Two years later, our largest battle occurred. It was for control over the spacebridge. We move the main control base every few years to avoid attacks, but the Decepticons found out it was being moved through the city of Chicago and attacked." Optimus shook his head, "Until this point, the Government managed to keep our existence rather quiet, but that was the day it all changed. Megatron managed to gain control of the spacebridge on both sides long enough to bring reinforcements from Cybertron right into the center of Chicago.

"The battle lasted a total of three weeks and the loss of life was _staggering_. Much of Chicago was destroyed." Optimus rubbed his jawline with his hand, "Megatron lost many, none that you know, and so did we."

"Were there any Autobots I knew?"

Ratchet shook his head, "No, I don't think so. Grimlock told you about the dinobots though, did he not?"

"Yeah, he talked to me about them."

"We lost one of them. Snarl."

Poor Grimlock. The dinobot didn't like a lot of things, but I knew how much he cared about his fellow dinobots. Poor Wheeljack too. I knew how much the Engineer loved the dinobots. He was basically their father in a way. I glanced at Optimus, "Where _is_ Grimlock? Is he here on base?"

"No, he's stationed at Diego Garcia with the other dinobots. It's a base we have in the middle of the Indian Ocean."

I nodded in disappointment. It made sense why the pack of dinobots were stationed at an isolated base on an island in the middle of nowhere. I could follow that reasoning.

"Then what? Any other big problems I should know about?" I asked. They hadn't mentioned anything about the drones yet so I figured that must have been a somewhat recent thing.

Optimus nodded, "For the next eight years, things were fairly silent again on the Decepticon front however now we had to deal with the backlash that came with the battle of Chicago. Many humans weren't happy and wanted us to go back to Cybertron." I frowned at and Optimus shrugged, "It was a argument that carried on for many years. It only really stopped about two years ago. Although…there is something that happened about four years ago, that I wish to ask you about."

My eyes widened in surprise, "Uh, ok? I'll try and answer, but I wouldn't get your hopes up, OP."

"The portal in Oregon opened up for the first time in four years ago during May of 2031. We knew it wasn't you, your bond was still… _muted_ , but when we arrived to see what could've come through all we found was an arm." Optimus said.

I blinked in shock. Did he say arm? Slowly, I shook my head, "Um, wait, what? An arm? _Just an arm_? But…ok, what's your question?"

"We just wanted to know if you had any idea what could've happened. The energy output was the exact same as when we came through so it must have come from your original universe." Ratchet finished for Optimus. "The arm was the right arm of a male from shoulder to hand, if that helps. Caucasian. There was a tattoo located on the forearm portion."

Male, Caucasian, and a tattoo? Thinking back to the explosion, I remembered Morgan jumping on top of me to shield me from the blast. When I was falling, I could vaguely remember him still hanging on, but it wasn't for long. Oh God, had he _traveled_ with me somehow? Just by hanging on?

"The tattoo was an eagle, with a flag, and two guns?" I asked. Ratchet and Optimus both looked surprised and that was answer enough for me.

Aubrey ran a hand through my hair, "How did you know that?"

"It was Morgan. Morgan had that tattoo and he was holding onto me when the shed exploded." I breathed. She didn't seem surprised by my words so I wondered if someone had told her my arrival story before I woke up. "I remember him letting go of me, but… why was _just_ his arm there?"

Ratchet shrugged, "We still don't have a solid idea on how you traveled to this universe. Perhaps, the ride in was bumpier than ours. Maybe he didn't make it all the way through. Not _all_ of him, at least."

"Oh God." I breathed in disgust. What an awful way to go. He was a total, evil dick, but I had to give him a few points for trying to shield me. Granted, he was probably just trying to protect his new merchandise, but still.

"Well, at least that mystery is solved." Aubrey hummed.

I tried to forget about Morgan and his ripped off limb, "What happened that stopped the ' _send E.T. home'_ arguments?"

Optimus nodded, "A company was formed in the aftermath of Chicago. Making their home in one of the reconstructed portions of the city. Kinetic Solutions Incorporated, or KSI, is what they called themselves. The creator of the company was a man named Joshua Joyce. Somehow they had managed to get their servos on offlined Decepticon and began reverse engineering them. The company itself flourished in the world of technological advancements, spreading to Beijing, China, Mumbai, India, Seattle, and two other cities in the US." Optimus paused and his holoform's face looked grim and tired, "They created a new element of sorts using the bodies of our offlined, they called it Transformium." My eyes darted to Ratchet who nodded in my direction grimly, "With this element, they tried to build their own Cybertronians."

"You gotta be shitting me." I groaned. God, it just sounded like a bad idea.

"Unfortunately, I am not." Optimus replied, "In 2033, they released a line of ' _Protector Bots'_. They were supposed to protect the human race and put us Autobots out of a job."

I rolled my eyes, "And let me guess, the Protector Bots went all Terminator on their asses."

"The drones worked well for about a year." Ratchet replied, "Then KSI lost control of them and they decided to ravage everything they could touch. We fought them back as much as we could, but… they're hard to defeat." I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. These were my unstoppable, undefeatable mechs. How could a drone even compare. He must have noticed, "The way they transform from bipedal to alt mode is in cubes which means breaking them apart doesn't do much. They have no protoform and can form back together with ease. Also, they have no spark to aim for. No matter what we hit them with, they just don't seem to stay down."

"We struck a lucky break." Optimus added, "Eventually they drew back to their main bases which happened to be the location of each one of the KSI buildings. They destroyed the surrounding area of each base though making it so no one can get near. We call these areas _hives_. The smallest hive is in Mumbai and has a circumference of about 50 miles. The largest is in Chicago with a circumference of about 800 miles."

I sucked in a sharp breath, "And these areas are…are _dead zones_? No one but the drones get in and out?"

"Yes. We haven't had a drone leave the hives for six months now, but we remain on high alert." Optimus nodded.

I thought back to that abandoned gas station and dead road, "You said I showed up in Oregon… Is there a hive near there?"

Optimus nodded, "Other than Chicago, there is a hive in Austin, Texas and Seattle, Washington."

"How big is the hive in Seattle? Is it close to the portal?"

"The portal is 20 miles outside of Portland and Seattle is 174 miles from the city." Ratchet answered, "You were in the outskirts of that hive. That is why you ran across one, nearly two drones."

I nodded, "The red guy."

"KSI named that one ' _Stinger'_." Aubrey spoke up, "They based it off Bumblebee. They made drones based off _all_ our mechs. Even the dinobots."

"Well that's fragging terrifying." I replied slowly. I tried to picture a drone shaped like a motherfucking dinosaur peeking through the gas station window at me and cringed. "Wait." I shook my head as I thought about Morgan again, "Could the drones have killed Morgan? I mean, I assume he came through where I did."

Optimus nodded, "Yes, he did, but the drones do not target humans. Their sole mission is to hunt and kill Cybertronians. They would only kill a human if the human was attempting to kill it."

"That doesn't mean it cares about human life though." Ratchet added, "They never avoid harming humans, they just don't care about the collateral damage." He shrugged, "Besides, if they had killed him they would've left the entire body there."

Aubrey frowned and tucked some of my hair behind my ear, "That's why I was so worried when the mechs told me you popped up out there."

I raised an eyebrow at her, "Um, I'm human, Aubs. I know that's easy to forget, but-"

" _No_." She argued with worried features, "Not to _them_."

"The spark radiation, Aj." Optimus explained. Those words made realization dawn on me, slowly. "Even to our own, more advanced scanners, you, Tyler, Taylor, and Peter read as Cybertronians. When the drones see you, they see a target."

That was a scary thought. Suddenly, my worry for the kids increased. Tyler especially. Didn't he say he went out there to help save me? Why would any of the mechs let him out like that if they knew he was a target? I mean, it was possible he had some sort of energy shielding technology like I had during the night, but that didn't quiet my fears.

"Is that everything?" I asked with a sigh.

"All the big things." Aubrey replied and I tried not to show my cringe.

 _All the big things._

They could spark note the past twenty years as much as I wanted them to, but at the end of the day I would never be able to truly know everything. Not all the details I'd really like. I was late to the party and nothing would make up for that.

* * *

"You did amazing, Ann!" Samantha said one last time before pulling her into a tight hug.

Annabelle laughed and returned the embrace cheerily, "You did too, Sammy! I'm _so_ proud of us. I'll see you on Monday. Don't forget to do Mr. Woodward's study guide. We need to ace that test next Wednesday!"

Sammy groaned in response and Annabelle chuckled at her friend's reaction. She said good-bye to the rest of her team and the others who stayed behind to help then turned to leave. She readjusted the jacket she wore and the bag that hung off her left shoulder. More importantly, she readjusted the gold medal that hung around her neck proudly. The competition had gone perfectly and now her and the rest of the team would be moving on to Nationals. She had been hoping the high school's soccer team would've done equally as well, but they had got bumped out during the first round of playoffs. You win some, you lose some. At least this left time for Cheerleading practice.

As she walked out of the school she noticed a large, black, familiar truck sitting by the side of the curb. Standing outside of the truck, however, was a face she hadn't seen in a week.

"Is that a _gold medal_ around my baby's neck?" Colonel William Lennox asked loudly, with a wide grin. Annabelle let out a squeal of excitement and sprinted toward her father with open arms. He laughed and picked her up in a big, tight hug. He was still wearing his military uniform and when he set her down her eyes darted over the patch on his chest that read 'Lennox'. "So how'd you do? Did you steal the show, Annie?"

"I think I did pretty good. We _all_ did pretty good." She motioned toward the medal, " _Obviously_."

Lennox grinned and walked around the black vehicle to get in the driver's side. The passenger door swung open on it's own and Annabelle climbed in, setting her book bag on the floorboard by her tennis shoes.

"I'm sorry I couldn't be there to watch you as I promised, Annabelle." A rough, southern voice rang out in the cab of the truck as the seatbelt wrapped around her. It gave her a quick, tight squeeze and she laughed.

"Don't worry about it, Hide. Eli recorded it all so we can watch it together at the UHAC this weekend." Ironhide pulled away from the curb and started driving away from the school. It was around 5 right now, so they wouldn't get to the UHAC until at least 6:30. Just in time for her to grab dinner in the Mess Hall. She glanced at her dad who had pulled out his phone to look at something quickly.

He noticed her gaze and glanced over with a warm smile, "So, how was school this week? You had a test in History didn't you? How'd that go?"

"I haven't got the score back yet, but I probably will on Monday. I felt pretty good about it though. Nothing eventful happened." Annabelle bit her lower lip briefly then cleared her throat, "So…?"

Lennox shook his head and worry flashed across his mind. Had he forgotten something? Things had been so crazy this week with back-to-back meetings and mountains of paperwork, he felt behind in his _actual_ life. He shrugged, "So, I love and missed you?"

Annabelle laughed with a roll of her eyes, "I love and missed you too." He grinned at her words, but she continued, "But that's not what I was getting at."

Lennox kept the clueless look on her face and Ironhide made a sound skin to clearing his throat, "She wants to know about why we left, Lennox."

"Oh." His eyebrows shot up.

"I'm just worried is all." Annabelle replied. "Hide ran out of there like his butt was on fire and Aubrey looked so worried."

Lennox sighed. It wasn't like she wasn't going to find out about this. Sure, the news was being kept from a majority of the soldiers right now, but Annabelle was too close to what was happing to be left out of the loop.

"You can't talk about this with Eli or Lex just yet, Annie." Lennox warned.

Annabelle could feel her jaw pop open in shock. There wasn't much she ever had to keep secret from her two younger friends. They all knew about the Cybertronians, hell they grew up with them, and they were on the same level of ' _need to know'_ material. Usually if a secret was being kept from them, it was being kept from her too. Slowly, she nodded even though she wasn't entirely comfortable with keeping something from them, "Um, ok."

" _Pit_ , you act like she has to take it to her grave." Ironhide scoffed and Lennox rolled his eyes, "If everything I hear about the femme is true, then she won't be staying hidden for long. She probably won't even be staying in the medbay for long."

"Ratchet wants her in there for at least a month."

"I'm just saying…"

Annabelle recognized the word femme and smiled, "Is there another Cybertronian on base? Did they come through the portal?"

"How do you know someone came through the portal?" Lennox asked in surprise.

Annabelle smiled sheepishly and shrugged at her father, "I heard Hide mention it to Aubrey."

"You gossip like an old lady, Hide." Lennox scoffed and Ironhide replied in sharp Cybertronian. Annabelle laughed, but she sobered quickly when her father's gaze landed on her, "Do you remember Aubrey's sister?"

Annabelle frowned, "Dr. Bradshaw?"

Lennox tilted his head, "Er, yes, but not exactly. Aubrey's little sister is in the Medbay right now."

" _What_?" She shook her head. That made absolutely no sense. "Dr. Bradshaw, she…Dad, she _died_. How-?"

Lennox shook his own head and cut her off, "This is her _actual_ sister. The one from the same universe as her."

Annabelle's eyes widened in surprise, " _Seriously_? _How_?"

"We don't know yet. She was in surgery earlier today, her knee was broken, but Aubrey's been with her since." Lennox replied, "Aubrey wants you and your brother to meet her, but…listen, Annie, you can't call her Dr. Bradshaw. I don't even want you mentioning anything about Dr. Bradshaw to her. Understand?"

She couldn't help but frown. As much as she loved Aubrey, she couldn't say she was the biggest fan of her sister. Dr. Bradshaw had been, well to put it simply, a royal bitch. Annabelle nodded, "Yeah, ok, Dad."

"Good. Now tell me about upcoming Nationals. When is it?"

* * *

Optimus Prime had left a couple minutes after filling me in on the last twenty years. Ratchet left around that time too, but he was constantly coming back in to check on me even though I tried to tell him that I wasn't about to suddenly drop dead.

Taylor had stopped by about ten minutes ago to bring me a tray of food from the Mess Hall before leaving again to run some errands and I was still shoveling food down my throat. I wasn't sure if I was just starving or if the food was actually this good. It was military grade food though, so wasn't it supposed to be _not_ amazing?

"You're eating like Tyler." Aubrey said in amusement.

With a mouth full of food I replied, " _Ah'm stahr-vhing_."

Aubrey hadn't left my side at all since she arrived and every once in a while I could see her eyes tear up while we talked. It was just so strange to try and comprehend. For me, I had literally just hugged my sister and said good-bye less than 72 hours ago. For her though, that was _twenty years_ ago. Twenty _fucking_ years. I couldn't imagine having to spend that much time away from any of them now.

The sound of buzzing filled the room while I was trying to lick my plate, "What is that?"

"Oh, it's my phone." Aubrey replied and dug around in her purse on the ground. I watched as she pulled out a thin, rectangle of glass. There were no metal or plastic edges. It was literally just a pane of window. She caught my gaze and chuckled, " _Technology_. It's made huge leaps and bounds."

"Can I see it?" I asked.

"Sure. It's called an xScreen."

"That's a _stupid_ name." I mumbled to myself as she handed it over. There were no buttons, wires, images, or holes to plug things in. I could see straight through the glass. "How the _hell_ do you even work this?"

The glass started vibrating in my hands. Startled, I dropped the screen and it fell into my lap. The glass lit up a faint green and a picture popped up along with a green and red circle below it. My eyes widened at the picture. It was of the Lennox guy from the movies, but he looked exactly like Josh Duhamel, the actor who played him.

"Oh, hang on." Aubrey picked up the phone and pressed the green button before bringing it to her ears, "Hello?"

How was that even working? Where was the microphone and speaker? What sort of _wizardry_ was this shit?

"You are? That's great." Aubrey grinned, "I'm here with Aimee right now. Just come up as soon as y'all get here…Alright, bye."

She swiped two fingers down the glass and it went back to normal. I just stared at her with questions swirling in my head. Do I ask about the weird ass phone or do I ask about the actor guy?

"I have no idea how it works. Something about clear, nanotechnology." Aubrey shrugged, "You'd have to ask Wheeljack or Perceptor."

Well since that was out of the way. I pointed at her phone, "Why were you talking to that Lennox guy and why'd you tell him to come up?"

Aubrey bit down on her lower lip, "Ratchet said I should wait to tell you, but I know me. I can't keep a secret from you, especially not this one, so I thought I would tell you now. You're strong enough to handle it and I figured since I was going to tell you about them, you might as well meet them." She was rambling. "Besides, you _need_ to meet Will. He's the human in charge around here."

"Aubrey. What are you trying to say?"

"Will is a good man. We weren't ever really close, but then…then the attack happened and I lost Wes and I thought…I thought I'd never be able to come back from that." Aubrey shook her head, "He had lost his own wife, Sarah, a year before in a car crash. No Decepticons, no war, just a _really_ bad accident on the one-day she wasn't riding in Ironhide. It was tragic." I could tell where this was going and my features softened as the paranoia slipped away. "He helped me get through the grieving and we became good friends."

I raised an eyebrow, "So what happened? I'm starting to get the feeling that it didn't _end_ at good friends."

Aubrey chuckled, " _Chicago_ happened. He got hurt pretty bad towards the end of those awful three weeks and I just…I thought I lost him and it _terrified_ me. When he woke up in the hospital, I saw him and it…it _clicked_." She shrugged, "We started seeing each other about six months later. Annabelle, his daughter, was only 3 when her mom died and she was 7 when I started, well, you know, _dating_ her father. She's an _absolute_ sweetheart, you'll love her and I _know_ if she gives you a chance she'll love you as an aunt."

"As an aunt?" I questioned, "So the two of you aren't just dating anymore, you're-"

Aubrey lifted her left hand to show a very nice wedding ring, "We got married about two years later and eight months after I had Lucas."

"Had Lucas _where_? Like to dinner?" I shook my head, "Wait, who the fuck is Lucas?"

"He's your nephew." Aubrey smiled softly. I stared at her, jaw slack, and just blinked in pure shock. She continued as if I wasn't having an aneurysm, "He's 7 years old now and is just the little adventurer. Climbs up anything he can reach, always has scuffed up knees, and is obsessed with cars."

"I have a nephew. I have a- I have a step-niece? Is that a _real_ term? Am I a step-aunt?" I questioned in shock.

"To Annabelle, yes, but you never let anyone call you Aunt anyways, so does the proper term matter?"

"Oh my God." I covered my eyes, "I could barely keep up with three and now there's _five_?!"

Aubrey chuckled and pulled my hand away from my face, "You handled three very, _very_ well. You're an _amazing_ aunt and I'm so excited for them to come meet you."

I shook my head, "I still can't believe you popped out another kid." She rolled her eyes at me and I frowned, "I mean, _damn_ , Aubs. This is the fourth one you've pushed out and I missed it. _Again_!"

"Once again, _not_ your fault."

"Still, I feel bad. I've never gotten to hold any of them when they were cute little _potato_ looking babies." She sent me a glare and I shrugged, " _All_ babies look like potatoes when they first come out, let's be real now."

Aubrey chuckled, "You could always have one of your own."

I let out a loud laugh, "I don't know about that. I'm not really ' _mom'_ material. I'm more ' _cool aunt that lets you get away with shit'_."

The sound of nails against tiles filled the air again and Bear slid past the archway again. I chuckled and waited for him to get his footing and rush in. I handed Aubrey my tray in anticipation and just like before he jumped onto my lap. Aubrey gasped, " _Bear! Down! Be careful_!"

"Oh, it's fine." I brushed off her worry and cuddled his now large body into my chest. He weighed a freaking ton, but I couldn't care less. A few seconds later, Tyler walked into view with a wide grin. "Tyler!"

"Hey, Aj." He greeted and glanced over at Aubrey, "Hey, mama."

Tyler walked over and kissed his mom on the cheek before leaning against my bed railing, "So, how's the cripple?"

"Ready to walk." I replied with a groan.

Tyler chuckled, "It's literally been less than a _day_ since you got out of surgery. I got bad news for you on that front." I rolled my eyes and his smile grew, "Oh, I have the funniest story. Ok, so you know how all the mechs that were with us back in the old universe are bonded to us and what not?"

"Yes, I think I remember that." I scoffed.

" _Anyways_ ", He ignored my tone and continued, "Grimlock knew you were here the moment you popped up and tried to hitch a ride to the US of A. The guys at Diego Garcia wouldn't let him though. So Grimlock, _being Grimlock_ , threw the most _epic_ temper tantrum I've ever heard from him."

Aubrey sighed, "What's the damage?"

" _Six_ chewed up military grade jeeps, a half _burned down_ watch tower, and a _flipped over_ Chinook." Tyler chuckled, "They sent us pictures of the damage."

"Isn't that stuff like expensive?"

Tyler nodded, "Oh yeah, but it's their own fault. We told them to allow him passage to the UHAC for visiting because we _knew_ what was going to happen if they didn't. Diego Garcia is chock full of stuffy politicians right now. I kinda wish Grimlock chewed up one of them."

" _Tyler Gavin Williams_." Aubrey scolded.

He held his hands up, "What? I'm kidding. _Mostly_." He turned back to me, "Pete said he was going to try and stop by later. He's been super busy today with meetings."

"Oh, yeah sure." I replied and tried to hide the nervous tone in my voice. Peter was the only one of the three kids I hadn't seen yet, and I was most worried to see him. What if he hated me for not being there for him? All that talk and yet somehow I still ended up abandoning him. Maybe that's why he wasn't around today. He was avoiding me and using work as an excuse. I didn't blame him. Taylor, Tyler, and Aubrey hadn't said much about him to me either and that only made me more nervous.

"Will and the kids are on base." Aubrey said and I glanced over to see her looking at her phone.

Tyler chuckled, "Ooh, is Aj gonna meet the kids and my step-father?"

"Yupp." I grinned, "Back to that though, _oh my God_. You _married_ Josh Duhamel, Aubs. He's fucking fine as hell."

Aubrey rolled her eyes at me, "He's William Lennox here. He _isn't_ Josh Duhamel."

"Fergie would be so pissed at you, sis." I clucked my tongue at her.

Tyler shook his head, "I'm lost here. What?"

I smirked at him in response, "A young whippersnapper like yourself just wouldn't understand."

Tyler scoffed, "We are the _same_ age, remember that?"

When he said the word ' _same'_ he motioned toward the two us with the ASL sign for the word. I paused in remembrance and Tyler must have noticed my hesitance. I cleared my throat and buried my hands in Bear's fur, "Taylor told me about…"

"My hearing?" Tyler smiled, "It's no big deal, Aj. I'm used to it. Besides", He motioned toward his ears and turned his head so I could see the clear plastic nestled in his ear, "With the aides they made me, I can basically hear."

"I heard you know sign language too now."

Tyler grinned and signed to me, ' _That's right, I do_.'

I lifted my hands up from Bear's back and ignored his whines, ' _You used to fingerspell your name with an A instead of an E, as a kid.'_

Tyler laughed, "Did I?"

"Yeah. You did." I replied, "I corrected you once, but you never listened."

He chuckled and went back to signing, _'I learned from, fast'._

I narrowed my eyes at what he signed to me. Taylor had told me he learned from Sideswipe, but he hadn't finger spelled out the mech's name. I shook my head, "Was that a sign name? For Sideswipe?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah." Tyler nodded, "When I was younger, I went to a school for the deaf for a little while. To help with my signing. They gave me a sign name and then I gave one to all the mechs. It's easier than spelling out their long ass names."

" _Language_." Aubrey warned. She stood up and smiled at me before leaving the room.

Tyler grabbed my attention again, "Do _you_ have a sign name? Were you ever given one?"

The thing about sign names was that you couldn't name yourself. It was one of the customs of the deaf community. A sign name had to be given to you by someone who was deaf or hard of hearing. It was usually a trait they noticed about and it was sometimes followed by the first letter of your name.

I showed him the sign name given to me during my second semester of ASL with a roll of my eyes. It was the sign for ' _cute'_ followed quickly by a turn of the hand into the letter ' _A'_. Tyler chuckled when I showed it to him.

"Who gave that to you?"

I shook my head, "An old friend of mine. He always thought I was so cute and small. It was a running joke between us." I nodded toward him, "What's yours?"

He pointed one finger to his ear then brought it forward, shaking both fists for the sign of ' _loud'_ , but both fists were also making the letter ' _T'_.

"Cute Aj and Loud Tyler." I smiled, "Sounds fitting."

"I can't argue against it." Tyler shrugged.

"So Sideswipe's sign name is ' _fast'_?"

Tyler nodded with a smirk, "You wanna know Sunstreaker's?"

"You came up with it?" I clarified. He nodded in response. Tyler held a closed fist above his head then slowly opened it as he moved his hand toward his face. It was the sign for ' _sunshine'_. I burst into laughter, "Oh I'm sure he loved that."

"Not as much as Sideswipe did."

I was curious to know all the mech's sign names, but at this time Aubrey came back and she wasn't alone. Tyler snapped his fingers and Bear jumped off the bed to stand by him. Lennox was the easiest to recognize mostly because he looked just like he did in the movies, but maybe a little older. He looked to be in his early forties, at the most, and that made me wonder how old he was when he joined NEST. Aubrey stood beside him and I let my eyes dart to the girl who stood in front of them.

She was an older teenager. Based off the timeline in my head, she was probably like 16 or 17. She didn't look much like Lennox so I assumed she took after her mom. Not that I could remember what her mom looked like from the movies. Annabelle had long blonde hair that fell past her shoulders and grayish blue eyes. She was wearing a jacket over a red and black cheerleading uniform.

Right next to her, holding her hand tightly, was a little boy. He did look like Lennox with the same shade of brown hair and the same brown eyes. He was cute with Aubrey's face shape and light freckles over the bridge of his nose. He wore a button up shirt over khaki shorts and I could see Band-Aids covering his knees.

" _Whoa_! You're not old!" Lucas cried. Annabelle nudged him with the same hand that was holding his own.

"Aimee", Aubrey smiled, "This is Annabelle and Lucas. Go say hi."

The two walked closer to me and I tried to figure out something to say. I cleared my throat, "Um hi. I'm Aj and I guess I'm like your aunt... which is news for all of us I'm sure."

"Are you a doctor?" Lucas asked.

" _Lucas_." Aubrey said in a warning tone.

I shook my head with a smile, "Nope. Not a doctor. I probably have more in common with hobos than I do a doctor."

Annabelle cracked a smile, "It's nice to meet you, Aj."

"Yeah, ditto. Um…" I shrugged and glanced over at Tyler who was biting back laughter.

Lennox walked over to stand on the other side of Annabelle and offered his hand, "It's nice to finally meet you, Aj. I've heard good things. My name is William Lennox."

I shook his hand and nodded, "Nice to meet you too. Thanks for taking care of Aubs for me. And for looking out for the kids too."

"I'm not a kid." Tyler sung in argument.

I rolled my eyes at him, "You'll always be a damn kid to me- wait, _dang_!" My eyes shot to Lucas. Shit, I was already screwing up. "I said dang because- because cursing is- it's a _sin_. You don't do that."

Annabelle let out a chuckle that she smothered with a cough. Lennox nodded, "Well we should probably leave you to rest for now. Annie and Luke are gonna come up sometime tomorrow to keep you company."

"We are?" Annabelle asked with wide eyes. He shot her a glare and she nodded, "Right, yeah. I'm…looking forward to getting to know you, Aj."

"Can I bring my games?" Lucas asked loudly and the attention was drawn away from me as Aubrey spoke to her son. Annabelle was obviously super wary of me. Not that I blame her. Suddenly getting an aunt from a magic portal was probably weird as shit.

Tyler cleared his throat and clapped his hands, "Come on, little A and little L. Let's go steal dessert from the kitchen."

He shot me a smile that I returned quickly before leaving with the kids in tow with Bear bouncing around Lucas. Aubrey walked over, "Peter is stopping by soon so I'm gonna run downstairs with Will. Do you need anything?"

Just a time machine that would take me back twenty years.

"Nope. See you later, sis." I replied. She hugged me tightly once more before leaving the room with Lennox who gave me a quick nod of the head. I returned the small farewell and then leaned back into my bed with a sigh. That could've gone better, admittedly.

* * *

I sat in bed, bored out of mind, for about thirty minutes before the sound of someone approaching made me sit up in excitement. Bluestreak's holoform was the first I noticed and that was only because he sprinted into the room and to my bedside.

"Primus, I can't believe it's actually you, Aj!" Bluestreak pulled me into a quick hug without pausing between his words, "Tyler and I were out there to pick you up and I was fighting Stinger, but still I can barely believe it! I'm so sorry too! I fired at Stinger without even thinking about you and Ratchet says you hit your head and you have that faceplate burn because of the explosion."

Bluestreak continued to ramble, but my mind got sidetracked. Face burns? I lifted a hand to feel my face, but all I felt was soft skin. My finger brushed across a raised, too smooth patch of skin above my right eye and I recognized it as a burn mark. It wasn't large though and I didn't even realize I had it until now.

"Relax, Blue." I shook my head and grinned at him, "You saved my life is what you did. Thanks."

Bluestreak beamed at my words and sat down in the seat by my bed, "We missed you _so_ much, Aj, and we're _so_ glad you're here, finally. I heard the twins are coming back to base now to because of you and of course Jazz and Bee are gonna _lose_ it when they get back from their mission!"

I chuckled at how excited Bluestreak was. Now that I had reassured him of his earlier actions, his face was split into a wide grin and he spoke a lot faster than he usually did while still using his hands to narrate his words.

"Calm down, Bluestreak. You're overwhelming her." A calm voice interrupted.

I glanced over at the door to see Prowl's holoform. Just like Blue and Optimus, he had on a military uniform. In fact, it seemed like Ratchet was the only holoform still wearing what he had on back in the house. My eyes didn't stick to the holoform for very long though because right beside him was Peter.

It was Peter. He was so different now, but I just knew it was him. I'd recognize him from a crowd easily simply because my gut pointed him out. Peter was taller than me, I could tell because he was the same height as Prowl, but he was a lot shorter than Tyler. He was also on the slim, wiry side rather than Tyler who had truly buffed out. He wore dress pants and a white button up shirt, but the shirt was wrinkled with the sleeves messily rolled up and his red tie was skewed. His light brown hair looked a shade darker. It also looked like it had been neatly brushed aside earlier in the day, but was now messy from a long day of running his hands through it. Peter's jawline was firmer and clean, making him look older, but it was him. It was Peter.

The room had grown quiet. It was only now that I realized this. Peter cleared his throat and stepped forward, Prowl walked over to stand on my right side next to Bluestreak in the chair.

"I'm _so_ sorry." I blurted and Peter's eyebrows furrowed together. He closed the space and rested his hands on the bed railing on the left side. I could see his gray eyes now. The right one was a bit cloudy, the only evidence that he couldn't see out of it, and his left eye, like Taylor had said, had a light blue, thin ring around the iris. I shook my head, "I'm _so sorry_ that I _wasn't_ here. That I _broke_ \- that I broke my promise. I'm sorry-"

Peter leaned forward and reached out to pull me forward. I leaned forward and he wrapped his arms around me tightly. He squeezed me once and I could feel him shaking his head against my shoulder, " _Don't_ apologize. You have _nothing_ to apologize for."

I pulled back with a frown, "Pete-"

"You _didn't_ stay behind on purpose, Aj." Peter argued, "Mom told us _everything_ when she came through the portal. _I'm_ sorry." He shook his head once with a deep frown, " _I'm_ sorry for leaving _you_."

"You didn't leave me, kid." I replied and pulled him back into a tight hug. I shut my eyes to hold back any tears that threatened to spill out.

We stayed that way for a while before Peter pulled back again, this time with a big smile, "I knew it."

"Knew what?"

"I knew I'd see you again one day." Peter laughed to himself, "I knew there was _nothing_ that could keep _my_ stubborn aunt from getting to us."

I cupped his face with one hand, lightly tapping his cheek twice with a smirk, "Course not." My eyes drifted over to Prowl who wore a small smile, "Hey there, Prowl. Did you miss me?"

"Indeed, I did." Prowl nodded with a firm smile, "It's good to see you again." He glanced at Bluestreak, "Come on."

"Are you leaving already?" I pressed.

"We have a meeting with Optimus and the other mechs." Bluestreak stood up, "But don't worry, we'll be back tomorrow for sure. Well, if Ratchet lets us that is. He almost didn't let us in this time."

I gave them a quick goodbye before watching both holoforms fade away from where they stood. Peter came around the bed to sit next to me, pulling the chair closer, "How do you feel? I wanted to come right after you got out of surgery, but today's been hectic."

"Don't worry about it." I replied, "I feel fine. _Better_ than fine."

"That's just the medicine, I'm sure. You have a _broken knee_. You need more rest."

I rolled my eyes playfully, "Yeah, ok, _Ratchet_."

Peter chuckled, "I can't believe I'm sitting here with you right now….and I really can't believe you're _still_ 26\. You know, Taylor and Tyler-"

"Are also 26. I know. Tyler wouldn't shut up about it." I chuckled, "Geez, that must make you…" His birthday was in September, "29?"

Peter nodded, "Yeah. I turn the big 3-0 later this year."

"This is _unbelievable_." I shook my head. "You're actually _older_ than me right now… With the twins, I'm still older since I'll turn 27 in June, but…. _geez_."

Peter grinned and his entire face lit up, "Wanna see something that'll make me seem even older?"

"I'm afraid to say yes, but I'm _way_ to curious to say no." I replied and Peter laughed. He pulled a wallet out of his back pocket. It took him seconds to pull a photo out of it and I took it from his outstretched hand. In the photo was the picture of a woman with fiery red hair, pale skin, and freckles all over her face. Her big, dark blue eyes were filled with laughter and she wore the brightest grin. In her arms, was a little girl with light brown hair tied into two cute pigtails. Her blue eyes matched the woman's, but her smile, the one with missing teeth, matched someone else. "Oh my God."

Peter nodded, "She's younger in that picture, but my daughter turned 4 this February."

" _Oh my God_." I breathed again. My eyes darted from the picture to the golden wedding band on Peter's left hand, " _Oh my God_."

Peter chuckled, "My wife, her name is Delilah. My daughter…her name is _Amy_."

My tears began to water up again as I shook my head, " _Oh my God_."

"Are you going to say anything other than 'Oh my God'?" Peter grinned.

I shook my head 'no' and stared back down at the picture. I forced myself to look up again at him and I motioned toward his daughter, "Amy…as in…?" I motioned toward myself.

Peter nodded with a soft smile, "Yeah, after you. It's spelled differently. A-M-Y instead of A-I-M-E-E."

He named his daughter after me.

He named this cute, precious, darling little girl after me. The woman with bruised knuckles and a bloody smile. Peter loved me enough, cared for me enough, to name his first-born child after me. It felt like my heart was going to explode inside my chest.

"I have a grand-niece." I laughed and Peter joined in with a wide smile of his own. In that moment, with my heart filled with so much love that I could barely stand it, I couldn't care less that I was twenty years in the future. Any problems that stemmed from that fact were forgotten as I sat with Peter and talked about his life. I was just honest to God beyond happy to be here now.


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: Sorry this took a while. Classes have started up again so I am swamped. Um a few announcements:_

 _First, the character Lex belongs to the contest winner ' **What Lies Beyond'**. I've been meaning to say that, but I kept forgetting._

 _Second, this chapter might have a few grammatical errors b/c I edited it while half asleep. My bad, but it was the only way y'all were gonna get this lol._

 _Third, I FOUND A STORY TO PROMOTE. I'm gonna start promoting stories I find and love. This week I am promoting: ' **The Girl with an Autobot Tattoo' by smileytrashbagg**. I highly recommend it. I'm enjoying it thus far._

 _I think that's all my announcements. Leave me reviews pretty, pretty please with sugar and sprinkles on top. I'm gonna go sleep. Kay, bye._

* * *

Chapter Three:

Coming Home

* * *

 _"Home is not where you are from, it is where you belong. Some of us travel the whole world to find it. Others, find it in a person." –Beau Taplin (The Explorers)_

* * *

Lennox had a lot on his plate to deal with. In an ideal world, his only problems would be dealing with the enemies he was allowed to shoot at. Namely, the Decepticons and the drones. However, this was _far_ from an ideal world. In this world, he had to also deal with asshole politicians who thought they were bigger than they were, mountains of paperwork for the most pointless things, and one couldn't forget the long list of meetings with _more_ politicians who thought they had some God given right to be in the loop.

Plus, now he also had to deal with the growing list of damages in Diego Garcia because some fathead government liaison thought it'd be a better idea to say no to the fire breathing dinobot.

Then, of course, there was the whole matter of ' _another human just popped through a mystical portal'_. The American Government hadn't exactly been notified of that new development and boy was Lennox not eager to be the one to break the news.

"Would you look at that." A familiar voice chuckled. Lennox briefly glanced up from his human sized datapad to see Robert Epps strolling his way. The dark skinned man wore his Airmen Battle Uniform, neat and crisp, with his hat settled on top of his head. Lennox wasn't surprised to see Epps here rather than outside running through tactical training. This was only because his partner for tactical training was a giant, black mech standing across the hangar. "This is the first time I've seen Ratchet walking around since yesterday. Why ain't he in the Medbay?"

"His patient is knocked out cold, from what I hear." Lennox replied.

"Dr. Bradshaw?" Epps asked in clarification. There was obvious skepticism on his features.

Lennox shook his head, "She goes by Aj. She's not a doctor either."

"This is weird as _hell_ , man."

"Weirder than _that_?" Lennox nodded his head toward Ironhide and Ratchet who were still arguing with each other. They had started off in English, but as per usual, the English quickly switched to Cybertronian. It wasn't odd to see the large, black mech going toe to toe with the slightly shorter red and white mech. The two argued like an old married couple.

Epps smirked, " _That_ I'm used to." He motioned toward the many working soldiers walking around the two mechs without even giving them a passing glance, "Hell, everyone's used to that." He paused briefly, "What's she like? You saw her didn't you?"

"Yeah." Lennox nodded and furrowed his eyebrows together. It was hard to wrap his mind around it all. For almost 8 years, his mental image of Aubrey's sister was a stuffy physician who sneered more than smiled. He had walked into the Medbay yesterday expecting a bitter woman with a curt attitude, but that wasn't what he found. Aj seemed…nice. Despite being laid up in bed with a serious injury, she was all smiles and jokes. He could even see concern in her features when she realized her introduction to his kids wasn't going as swimmingly as it could've. Dr. Bradshaw never cared about connecting with Annabelle or Lucas. He glanced over at Epps to see his old friend staring at him, waiting for an answer. Lennox shrugged, "She's different, Epps. She's not the person we thought we knew."

The sound of transforming made both men glance over in time to see Ratchet fold down into his alt mode. A white H2 Search and Rescue hummer with bright red accents. He drove out of the hanger leaving Ironhide here with a shaking head.

"He's so fragging sensitive about the human girl in the Medbay. I just want to meet her." Ironhide scoffed and walked over towards them.

"She's like Tyler, Taylor, and Pete, Hide." Lennox replied, "You _know_ that."

" _So_?" The mech scoffed.

"So maybe leave it alone for now?"

Ironhide replied with another scoff and a wave of his large hand. He folded down into his own alt form and let his driver's door swing open, "Epps, are you ready?"

"Was waiting on you, man." Epps chuckled and gave Lennox a quick nod before hopping in. Lennox watched them drive away with a sigh. What he would give to drop all this paperwork in someone else's lap and take up tactical training instead.

* * *

"Pete went out to stay with Amy and Delilah." Taylor hummed out loud as she paced the floor in the shared Human-Autobot lounge. This was the only lounge on base that was built to have both species in at the same time. The human area was raised up off the floor with catwalks circling the outside of the room for people to enter and leave. Right now Taylor and Tyler were one of the few groups of humans in here. The only other group was a small pack of soldiers sitting at the far end of the catwalk talking to the only Autobot in the lounge, Hound, about something. "He wants them to meet Aj, but it probably won't be this weekend since Delilah's mom is visiting. Pete said he'd be back Tuesday though. I hope he can bring Amy by sometime next week. Aj'd _love_ to meet her…it's only been a day and she's already losing her mind sitting in that room. Do you think there's something we can do to help her feel better?"

Taylor ran a hand through her loose hair and glanced over at her twin to see him grinning at his phone. He was texting, Taylor could tell because the back of the xScreen was shielded his color choice of navy blue, and wasn't paying any attention to her at all.

"Tyler!"

He nodded, "Yeah, yeah. You're totally right, Tay."

She rolled her eyes and stepped closer to the couch he was sprawled across, "I think I'm going to shave my head, tattoo the words ' _Con Lover'_ across my forehead, and go live with _Barricade_."

"Sounds like a plan." Tyler replied nonchalantly.

Taylor reached over and slapped him against the side of his head. Tyler let out a cry of pain and clutched the side of his head with wide, surprised eyes, "What was that for?"

"You're _ignoring_ me."

"I happen to be in a _very_ important conversation." Tyler shook his phone slightly in her direction.

"I don't care about the girl you're texting this week, Ty." Taylor scoffed, "I'm worried about Aj."

Tyler sighed and stuffed his phone into the shirt pocket of his uniform, "Why? Aj is _fine_. Besides, nothing we do is going to make her want to stick around in the Medbay."

"She _has_ to be in there for another two weeks at the least. Even after that, Ratchet is still going to restrict her to stay in bed."

Tyler grinned, "If you honestly think Aj is going to lie around in bed for _two weeks_ then you obviously don't remember our dear aunt as well as you think you do." He stood up, "Now if you don't mind, I, _unlike you_ , don't have this weekend off."

"Bye." Taylor replied airily as Tyler gave her a quick wave before scooping his hat off the couch and tucking it under his arm. She briefly watched him leave the lounge before sitting back down at the table she had started out at. She just wanted to make sure Aj was as happy as she could possibly be here. That's all.

* * *

264 tiles. That's how many there were on the ceiling above me. How did I know this bit of trivial information? I counted them. _Four_ times. It was exactly 2:13 in the afternoon, and I knew this because every twelve seconds I ended up glancing over at that stupid ticking clock. As if the more I stared at it, the faster time would go.

Never, and I mean never in my entire freaking life, had I ever been good at doing nothing. Rest? I was not the kind to rest. I mean, sure, I could maybe set aside a couple hours to sit on a couch and watch some TV or something, but an entire day? No. Just, _no_. For almost 24 hours now, I've been in this bed and I was very quickly losing my sanity because of it. I wanted to be up and moving. I wanted to be exploring this base.

No amount of conversations with my sister or Taylor was going to sate my drive to physically move about. Although, at least their company had distracted me. Taylor left, saying she had some kids to watch, and Aubrey left saying she had a few errands. I didn't blame them. They had their own lives to live.

I wondered where Bear was. Couldn't they at least leave my dog in here with me?

The sound of a holoform coming to life greeted my ears and seconds later Ratchet was standing on the right side of my bed looking at the machines. He glanced my way and nodded, "How do you feel, youngling?"

"I'm _dying_ , Ratchet."

Ratchet rolled his eyes, "Don't be so dramatic."

"I traveled _all_ the way here", I replied in a very overdramatic way, "Through a _magic portal_ no less-"

" _Not_ magic."

"Just to end up in this bed." I finished, draping my arm across my forehead with a sigh, " _Dying_ of boredom."

Ratchet cracked a smile at me, "What would you have me do? Let you loose on the base?"

"Yes." I nodded eagerly, "That's exactly what I would have you do."

"Well that's a prime example of why I'm in charge of your care and you are _not_." He replied then walked over to set his hands on the wheelchair parked against the wall. He motioned toward the door to the right with his head, "Do you need to use the restroom?"

I shook my head, "No. Aubs took me an hour or so ago."

Ratchet nodded and walked over to the IV, "I could lower your dosage of medicine. You could sleep the day away."

God, that actually sounded tempting at the moment. I frowned and shook my head, "Ratchet, I gotta _do_ something. I'm gonna lose my mind in here."

"In one week you will begin Physical Therapy." Ratchet replied as if I hadn't said anything to him. I groaned and he continued, "We have a physical therapist on base that is quite good according to the soldiers."

I sunk in my bed with my lower lip jutted out in a pout. Ratchet, in response to my pout, shot me an amused smirk.

"How come you don't wear a military uniform?" I questioned, letting my eyes trace over the clothes I had grown so used to seeing.

Ratchet shrugged, "I just never coded it into my holoform programming."

"Why?"

"Because I saw no personal use for it. Wheeljack and Perceptor also don't have it coded into their programming."

"Why?" I repeated

"For the same reasons." Ratchet replied again, but his voice was curt and there was a flash of annoyance in his eyes.

He glared at me as if daring me to continue my actions. It's not like I could turn down a dare, real or not. So with a grin I repeated my prior questions like a 5-year old would.

"Why?"

" _For Primus' sake, youngling_ -" Ratchet exploded, like I figured he would, but his long-winded rant and my boring ass lecture was interrupted by the sound of a mech speaking Cybertronian. It was almost impossible for me to distinguish who was speaking when they spoke in their natural language. Despite their voices sounding so different when they spoke English, when they spoke Cybertronian it was too similar.

Ratchet mumbled under his breath and someone spoke again. My eyebrows furrowed in confusion when I realized it sounded like the voice was right next door. Right next door to my very human sized hospital room. The medic turned his holoform off and I was alone again. Almost. The sound of a mech transforming was faint and arguing happening right outside the room followed it. I could tell Ratchet apart from the other voice because Ratchet was yelling and threatening. Well, due to the Cybertronian language I couldn't tell if he actually threatening the mech, but I would guess that he was. I knew my medic fairly well.

" _Ratchet_!" I yelled loudly and the voices died down. " _Ratchet_!" The arguing picked back up again, " _Ratchet_!"

"Please, Ratchet? Please?" A new, male voice suddenly filled the air and I paused from my yelling. This wasn't a mech I knew.

Ratchet replied in Cybertronian, but I wasn't done trying to keep his attention, "I'm going to keep yelling until you answer me! Who knows maybe I'll hurt my throat or break my vocal chords! Ratchet-"

The sound of my voice was drowned out by the sound of metal gears groaning. For the briefest second I thought something was wrong with the mechs that had been talking, but that idea flew from my mind when I noticed the entire wall to my left was slowly sinking into the floor. At the same time as this, the ceiling was being slowly pulled towards the right. This continued until the ceiling and left wall were gone and I could clearly see two big ass Cybertronians standing off to the side. Although, I wasn't looking up at them like I had been with Thundercracker. Rather, my bed was about at their waist level.

"That's one injury I might hesitate to fix for you." Ratchet snapped, but his lips had twitched up in amusement. My eyes widened in disbelief as I just stared at the speaking mech. He didn't look like he did back home. In fact, his shape was less boxy and more round, reminding me of his bipedal mode from the movie. Unlike the movie though, he was primarily white with accents of light gray and red.

"Holy…" My words trailed off, still in shock.

All attention snapped to the mech beside Ratchet who was grinning. He was taller than the medic, maybe by a couple feet, and had a slimmer build around his waist area. Underlying pieces of armor, like the center of his broad chest was a royal blue color, and over those pieces were stark, white metal. He had accents of bright red here and there, including on the top of his head, and there was a red and royal blue racing stripe on each of his two door wings.

His eyes were a very soft blue, pastel in shade, and they were staring at me. I shook my head, briefly glancing away, to take in the area around them. It was a huge area considering both mechs were standing there and the new ceiling above them, and now me, was still another ten feet up or so. The walls I could see were made of dark concrete and the back wall, quite a ways behind them, had tall windows, but all I could see out of the windows was another building.

" _The fuck, Ratchet_!?"

"Language." He growled in response.

I shook my head again and glared at him, "You never told me this room had removable walls!"

"Did you ask?"

I opened my mouth, realized he was right, and then quickly snapped it closed. With a light glare, I pointed at him with twisted lips. That was a low blow. Who the hell asks ' _Hey, do these walls shift up to reveal a secret room_?' on a regular basis?

"Where am I?" I pressed, then glanced over at the new mech who was grinning at me, "And who are you?"

"You're in my medbay-"

The mech pushed forward and motioned toward himself, "The designation's Smokescreen. It's nice to finally meet you, femme. Ratchet's been _hogging_ you all to himself." Ratchet grumbled to himself and crossed his arms in annoyance. Smokescreen continued, "You go by Aj, right?"

"Yeah", I nodded, "That's me."

Ratchet sighed, "Anyways, you're located one story up from the floor in a human medical room I have placed in the corner of my medbay for the usage of-"

"This is _so_ cool!" I cried as the realization finally hit me. Ratchet threw his hands up and walked away from us while shaking his head. "You're the first new Cybertronian I've met in this universe. This is awesome though! I could have a parade of new Cybertronians walking through here to meet."

Smokescreen and I both ignored the word ' _No'_ , yelled out by Ratchet who was working on something out of my line of vision. The new mech chuckled, "We've been trying to convince Hatchet of that since you got here, but he's been a bit stubborn and overprotective, as per usual." He shrugged, "I've heard a lot about you though. Taylor _sings_ your praises!"

"You know Taylor?" I asked, but as soon as the words left my mouth I knew it was a stupid question.

Smokescreen's already expressive features seemed to light up and his door wings fluttered once, "Oh yeah! I hang out with Taylor all the time. Especially when my ward is off base and at school. I know Tyler and Pete too. Plus your sister."

"Ward?" I blinked then nodded, "Wait, I know what that means. Uh, you're a guardian." He nodded and I suddenly remembered the history lesson given to me yesterday, "To the Witwicky family right?"

"You got it." Smokescreen nodded, "Sam and Mikaela usually stay on base these days so I watch over their daughter, Lex."

"Oh, okay." I replied as if I had a clue who this kid was. Though, I did recognize the name. Someone must have mentioned it earlier. I pointed at his door wings, "You're Praxian, right?"

Smokescreen smirked and his door wings fluttered again in response, "Look at the quick processors on you. Right again. You actually already know my brother. Prowl."

I didn't react immediately mostly because it didn't actually register in my mind. I heard the words, but nothing clicked into place. Smokescreen nodded once and my eyes widened, "Wait, _what_?"

"Prowl is my older brother." Smokescreen replied slowly, but his amused grin did not falter. "Way, _way_ older actually. We didn't even grow up together. It's like…" His gaze drifted up towards the ceiling briefly in though, "It's like Taylor and Lucas. They're siblings, but she's an adult and he's still a youngling. Comparatively though, out gap isn't as large as theirs."

I shook my head, "Prowl has a _brother_?"

"I think we established that." Smokescreen chuckled.

"That little shit never told me." I mumbled with a frown. Smokescreen laughed and I let out a miffed ' _hmph'_. Prowl was going to hear an earful from me next time I saw him. A part of me, probably the voice of reason, spoke up and reminded me that maybe he didn't mention it because he was separated from his brother, but I smothered the voice and ignored it. I nodded at Smokescreen, "Can I see your holoform. I mean, I assume you have one."

Smokescreen shrugged, "Well yeah, but why?"

"I want to be able to recognize you in holoform too. You won't always be in bipedal mode around here, right?"

He wagged his finger at me, "Good point. Good point."

Without another word, Smokescreen disappeared from view as he began to transform down to his alt mode. A second later the sound of a holoform appearing filled the air and someone was standing a few feet from my bed. I wasn't surprised to see that Smokescreen's holoform was also Asian like Prowl and Bluestreak's. It was an interesting concept to think about, but I didn't let my mind wander down that rabbit hole.

Smokescreen was taller than Prowl, that much I could tell because his holoform looked about Wheeljack's size at around 6'0. He had the same long, oval face with a squared chin as Prowl did, but his was a bit slimmer. It seemed like he had a messy, short boy cut under the dark blue baseball cap he wore backwards on his head. He had on a loose gray tank top with a sleeveless, hooded red jacket over it and jeans. The holoform grinned at me and his soft blue eyes made it look, like Prowl and Bluestreak, like he was wearing contacts.

"What do you think?" Smokescreen jokingly popped the front of his jacket than crossed his arms in a pose with a wink, "Taylor says I'm the best looking holoform."

"Oh, did she?" I chuckled and he nodded confidently. "So do you not wear the military uniform either?"

Smokescreen shook his head, "I have the coding for it. I'm just off duty right now."

He pointed at me once before turning on his heel and spinning in place. His holoform glowed blue briefly and then suddenly he was facing forward again, but wearing the same camo uniform as the other mechs. There was no hat on his head anymore and his short hair was loosely spike up in the front. It was easier to tell his hair color now. The sides were black, but the top portion was a light shade of brown.

Smokescreen snapped a salute in my direction and I laughed. His holoform disappeared then and I watched as Smokescreen, in his bipedal mode, stood back up off the ground.

"Ta-da." He chirped with a wave of his hands.

"If you're quite done showing off now, you can _leave_." Ratchet barked as he sauntered back over. In his hands was a large data pad. It was strange to see that in full size now too.

Smokescreen's smile fell, "Wait, I came in here for something though. What was it?"

"This, you glitch." Ratchet handed over the data pad.

Smokescreen laughed, "Right, right, right." He took the pad and I watched it disappear into his subspace, "Thanks, Ratchet. Nice to meet you, Aj!"

"You too." I replied and watched as he turned to leave.

My gaze drifted over to Ratchet who was already staring down at me. He sighed and shook his head, "Now everyone is going to come in wanting to meet you."

"Good." I shot back with a smirk, "It's about time I got to know the rest of the family right?"

At my words, Ratchet's lips twitched up in a small smile. Hopefully I'd get some new visitors soon and wouldn't have to wait long.

* * *

Epps had two datapads under his arm as he walked down the hall toward Lennox's office, smiling and nodding at soldiers who greeted him along the way. He still wasn't entirely sure why Lennox needed all these files exactly and why he needed them ' _ASAP'_. The guy had been more than vague in the text sent his way. The two datapads he held dealt with a handful of odd, miscellaneous missions that were completed in the last month and a half. They were non-essential at best and didn't require sending to the higher ups until at least the end of June.

Rather than knocking on the half closed door, Epps used his foot to push it open and stepped inside. His eyes widened to see Lennox frantically writing on one datapad with a stylus while other datapads were stacked around him.

"Uh, am I interrupting something?" Epps lifted an eyebrow at his old friend.

Lennox lifted his head and nodded, "Those are the missions reports from the supply runs and patrols, right?" Epps held them up slightly with a nod. "Good. Set them over there."

Lennox had motioned toward one of the side tables that had even more datapads stacked up on it. Epps wandered over curiously and added his two to the pile. When he glanced back at Lennox he realized the man had gone right back to writing.

"Man, what's this all about?" Epps asked with a shake of his head, "What are all these reports even for?" He walked over to stand in front of the desk and turned on one of the top datapads. The words ' _Austin Recon'_ flashed onto the screen. Epps narrowed his eyes, "The Austin mission? That ain't even finished yet. Not 'till Bee and Jazz get back with their final report."

Lennox nodded but continued to work, "I'm sending them everything we have now on the mission. A check-in."

"Check-in? Since when have we _ever_ given in and sent them a damn check-in." Epps scoffed. The only people off base who ever wanted a ' _check-in'_ were a few government officials and the government assigned ' _human'_ liaison. Their own ' _Autobot'_ liaison, Sam Witwicky, usually managed to successfully keep that asshole at bay though.

Lennox set down his stylus and looked up with a small smile, "They want the mission report from yesterday morning by 2200 tonight since it was an unauthorized mission. I can't send that in to them without revealing that we had someone come through the portal." Lennox motioned toward the datapads. "However, they've been nagging us day in day out on the Austin mission. So? I'm gonna send it all to them."

"All of it?"

"Every bit. Even the unnecessary portions. They'll be so preoccupied with going through every detail of the Austin mission that they won't even look at the other stack I send of ' _Misc. Missions'_." Lennox nodded, "Even if they did start looking through there, I'm gonna jam pack it with every non-essential mission we've had since January."

Epps grinned, "Not bad. It'll buy us at least a few weeks."

"Exactly." Lennox agreed, "Enough time for us to settle down and figure out what exactly we're going to do with this situation." He sighed and leaned back in his chair, "Plus, the last thing we need is Galloway showing up and trying to get into the medbay to see Aj. Ratchet'll throw a fucking fit."

"You bet your ass he would." Epps chuckled and sat down, "He'd blow a GD gasket. You need any help?"

Lennox motioned toward the stacks, "Be my guest."

* * *

Over the course of the rest of that Saturday evening, plus most of Sunday, I spent my time talking the ear off anyone who came to visit. Tyler and Taylor often swung by, sometimes together, sometimes not. Aubrey was almost always with me and even Lennox came by to talk again along with Annabelle and Lucas on Saturday night. Besides my human visitors, I also had a never-ending stream of Cybertronians coming to visit me. The ones I had grown close to back in my universe spent ample time visiting and talking with me, like Prowl, Optimus, Bluestreak, and Ratchet. Though I couldn't really consider Ratchet on that list considering he was here more often than gone. I also got to spend time talking to Smokescreen again and I met some new Cybertronians, which was definitely the highlight of being trapped in Ratchet's medbay.

The first new mech to stop by was Blaster. He was a dark red mech, same height as Ratchet, with light gray legs and a slightly protruding yellow chest. He had matching red wing type antennas on either side of his head and the portion of helmet above his eyes was solid white. Blaster's eyes were very dark, blue. He was a fun mech to talk to and during my conversation with him he mentioned Jazz a few times. I guess the two were good friends, but it just made me miss my visored friend that much more. By meeting Blaster, I also got to meet his cassettes, which was interesting in itself.

There were three in total: Eject, Rewind, and Steeljaw. All three were way smaller than the usual Cybertronians, but some still managed to be larger than me to a degree. Eject was a light blue mech that looked like he was wearing tall shoulder pads. He had a light gray helmet, a reddish face, and the same eye color as Blaster. Eject was probably a foot or so taller than me and could actually stand inside my room in his bipedal mode. I had never met a mech so invested in human sports. Eject liked football the most it seemed, but his knowledge didn't stop there. When he found out I played volleyball and softball at some point in my life he showed he had plenty of knowledge in those sports as well.

Rewind, who looked a lot like Eject, had the same eye color and was the same height, but his colors consisted mostly of black with yellow accents on his chest and no tall shoulder things. The time I spent talking to Rewind consisted mostly of him telling me random bits of trivia about random topics. He was like a limitless source of unlimited knowledge, mostly about random shit I wasn't sure I'd ever honestly need to know, but he was a really nice mech regardless.

The last was Steeljaw, which was a name I remembered the kids talking about back home. The thing about Steeljaw was that he was a fucking metal lion. He wasn't as blocky as some of the other mechs I knew. In fact, he was shaped very much like an actual lion just with metal muscles. He was dark gold in color with dark blue eyes. He even had a thick mane made of gold and silver wires and curled sheets of thin metal. Unlike Eject and Rewind, who had unfolded out of Blaster's chest to greet me. Steeljaw had been chilling on Blaster's shoulder napping. It made me wonder if the mech did transform or did he just look like that all the time. I never got the chance to ask because after Steeljaw commented, in a deep voice might I add, that I stunk the whole lot of them had to go since Blaster's shift was starting. Blaster apologized for Steeljajw's comment, explaining that the mechanical lion's sense of smell was exceptional, but it wasn't that big of a deal. The comment didn't come as that much of a surprise. I was beyond ready for a bath, but Ratchet was unrelenting on that front.

Sometime after Blaster, I got to meet my first femme. Flare-Up was small, but I guess that was just because I was so used to seeing the giant sized mechs. She was only about a foot or two above the floor of my room, which meant she stood at maybe 12 feet? I wasn't able to make out details until she jumped up and sat on the floor of my room with both feet hanging down (ignoring Ratchet's cries of annoyance entirely). Flare-Up was slim with curves and her main three colors were red, orange, and yellow with small accents of gray here and there. Talking to Flare-Up was exciting and fun. She was loud, energetic, and brash with her words.

I hadn't gotten to see Blaster's holoform or any of the cassettes, assuming they also had them, but I went out of my way to ask to see Flare-Up's holoform. The guys always came out looking like male models and I wondered if she'd end up looking drop dead gorgeous as well. Unsurprisingly, her holoform matched the ' _modeling'_ theme. She had an oval face with a thinner jawline and high cheekbones. Her dark brown hair fell to her lightly tanned shoulders in loose curls that turned to a light brown as they got to the tips. Her light blue eyes were big and bright, giving an air of innocence, but her smile was impish at best canceling out the possible innocence. She wasn't wearing a military uniform when I saw her, though I'm sure she had one too, but instead wore a loose yellow tank top with dark blue skinny jeans and black boots. The more I spoke with her the more I realized that Taylor was right in her assumption that the two of us would get along swimmingly.

One mech I had heard lots about, but haven't gotten to meet yet was Ironhide. He didn't stop by, but Ratchet informed me that was because he had been sent out on a small task.

Bear, however, spent most of Sunday with me either lounging on top of me or bouncing around my bed. It took me all the way until Sunday to figure out that they had Bear trained for military missions. It's why he was out with Tyler the day I got picked up out in the middle of Oregon. I didn't like it. It was bad enough my kids had gotten all involved in this, but my dog too? I was assured, by basically everyone, that Bear was fine, that his trip through the portal had made him stronger and faster too, but that didn't make me overly happy. He was my puppy, after all.

"Come on, Bear." Tyler whistled in the archway.

Bear didn't flinch and remained lying on top of me with his tongue hanging out. I wrapped my arms around his neck and buried the side of my face into his fur, "Why the hell do you keep stealing my dog? Go get your own."

"He kind of was mine for the past twenty years." Tyler replied cheekily. I raised an eyebrow at him and he rolled his eyes, "Ok, so technically he was more Sunstreaker's. That was the only person Bear would really listen to until training… but for the past two years, while Sunstreaker's been in Australia, I've been taking care of him!"

"Yeah, yeah." I mumbled and ruffled Bear's fur one last time, "See you tomorrow, buddy."

Bear turned his head and licked the side of my face a few times before jumping down. Tyler scoffed at Bear who walked right past him. He glanced up at me, "I think Annabelle and Lucas are coming to visit you again soon."

"I know." I replied with a nod, "Later, Ty. Stay out of trouble."

He raised his hand to me with a grin before turning around and leaving. I sighed and leaned back in my seat. Aubrey had brought me a hair tie earlier today so I was finally able to pull my greasy, dirty hair up into a small bun. It was nice to just have it up and out of my way. I was determined to convince Ratchet into letting me take a shower sometime tomorrow. I'd break down into crocodile tears if I had to.

A few minutes later, I spotted Annabelle and Lucas in the hall walking toward the door. Lucas broke away from his sister and sprinted into the room with a smile, "Hey, Aj! I beat that level on my game! You wanna see?"

"Course, kiddo." I smiled at him. He wasted no time in crawling onto my bed and settling down on my left side. It was pretty easy winning over the young boy. Annabelle was the one I was having a harder time with, but things were still a bit better than they were when we first met. A little. Lucas turned on his handheld gaming device, which looked kind of like the DS that Peter, Taylor, and Tyler used to have, but this one had a shiny, silver exterior and when he turned it on the screen shot out a 3D image he played with. Needless to say, my experience thus far with future electronics wasn't too great.

"See!" He showed me something on his screen, but I wasn't sure what he was pointing out.

"Nice." I nodded and glanced over at Annabelle who sat down in the chair by my bed. Her hair was braided back and she wore a 'Soccer Camp' t-shirt and jean shorts. "Hey Annabelle."

"Hi, Aj. How do you feel?" She replied politely.

I shrugged, "Never better."

Lucas began to rattle off about his day as he played his game and I listened contently while Annabelle texted on her phone. This routine continued for about ten minutes before my mind began to wander off. I couldn't help but wonder when I'd get to see the mechs I was missing. Jazz and Bumblebee wouldn't be back for a while because of their mission, but when would the twins and Grimlock be able to stop by? As I followed that line of thought, I slowly realized there was one other mech who hadn't stopped by yet. In fact, I questioned how it could even slip my mind.

I waited until Lucas paused to catch his breath and then spoke, "Hey, y'all know Wheeljack right?"

Annabelle looked up from her phone with a nod and Lucas bobbed his head up and down as well. He spoke without pausing his game or turned his eyes away from it, "Course we know, Jackie. Why?"

"Where is he?" I asked, "He hasn't stopped by this weekend. Did he go on that mission with Ironhide."

"No way. Besides, Hide is back already. He's talking to Optimus Prime." Lucas answered, "When he's done with that he's going to take us back home. We have school tomorrow."

Annabelle nodded, "Luke is right. I'm pretty sure Wheeljack is in his lab. Has been since Friday." She shrugged, "Sometimes he just gets caught up in an experiment and doesn't come out for a while. We're not supposed to bother him."

I furrowed my eyebrows in thought. It made perfect sense. Wheeljack would be the kind of mech to lock himself in his lab for extended periods tinkering. It seemed 100% in character, but still something didn't sit right with me. Caught up in an experiment or not, he'd still come and see me. I mean, when I first got here Ratchet had to threaten him to keep him out, but now? When I was finally allowed visitors he was nowhere to be seen? I didn't buy that. Taylor's words drifted through my mind, about how he felt guilty about the portal. He didn't blame himself for what happened with me, did he?

"I need to get out of this room." I said aloud and both kids stopped what they were doing to look at me. It was silent between all of us and I just smiled at them, "Anyone want to help?"

Annabelle looked skeptical, "Ratchet seemed pretty dead set on you staying in bed…on account of your knee and all."

I nodded, "Right, but I _need_ to go see Wheeljack."

"Why?"

"To kick his giant metal aft for not coming to see me himself." I replied and sat up. With ease, I twisted so my raised, injured leg was hanging off the side of the bed. It wasn't like this was the first time I was getting up. It'd be just like going to the bathroom except this time I'd be going out a bit further. "Luke, can you stay here and keep watch for us?"

Lucas set his game down briefly, "Keep watch?"

"Yupp. Ratchet is in a meeting right now and should be for another hour or so, but if he comes back early you need to text your sister and warn us."

The boy grinned in excitement, "Yeah! I can do that!"

"Annabelle, will you get me the wheelchair?"

She stood up to push it over, but her face remained skeptical as ever, "I really don't think this is a good idea. You're injured and Ratchet said-"

I shook my head, "You don't have to go if you don't want to. I'm sorry. I just _really_ need to check on Wheeljack."

"How are you going to get there without me showing you to his lab?" Annabelle sighed. She held onto the chair as I stood up on my left leg and carefully dropped down into the seat.

"Just give me directions. I don't want to force you to do something you don't want to." I replied while opening the leg stand on my chair so I could keep my right leg straight and raised up.

Annabelle gave me a small, firm smile, "Don't worry about it. This won't be the first time I've gotten on Ratchet's bad side."

That was easy to believe only because I was sure there wasn't a person on this planet or Cybertron who hadn't gotten on Ratchet's bad side at least once. He had a very big bad side to stumble onto. I gave Lucas a quick thumbs up, that he happily returned, and Annabelle began to push me out of the room. It felt strange to be leaving that make shift hospital room. I couldn't help the damn near giddy grin that slipped onto my features. Why hadn't I thought to try this before? The thought of Ratchet catching us was pretty sobering though.

The hallway I had watched people walk down, but never traveled myself, seemed to go on for a while. Eventually it turned to lifted walkway with guard rails on either side rather than full on walls. I glanced over the side of the wheelchair to see the large medbay doors that the cybertronians could go through and the gap in the wall we had just exited. We were still about ten feet off the ground. The space around us continued to be ginormous in size and I equated this to being designed specifically for our intergalactic friends. We went about fifty feet down this walkway until we reached a human sized elevator built into a concrete wall. Funnily enough, to my left was a car sized elevator, I could tell because the doors were grates rather than solid silver. It sat next to another archway that led out somewhere.

"We're on ground level right now. Well, I mean, part of Ratchet's medbay is. We're suspended on the walkway right now." Annabelle explained. She moved around to hit the elevator button and the doors opened automatically. "The giant elevator for the Autobots leads down into their side of the base. It's huge and underground so people can't spot it from the air. It's where their rooms are and some other stuff."

She pushed me into the elevator and hit the button with a down arrow on it. The only other button, other than the emergency stop, was an up arrow. I nodded as the doors closed, "They don't like live side by side with y'all?"

"Living? No, but they spend a lot of time topside." She replied, "The base is split up into three main areas. You have the Autobot only area which is underground like I said, the human only area which is on the East side of base, and then the West side is the blended area." The doors opened and she pushed me out into a large gymnasium looking room. The ceiling was high and the walls were still made out of concrete. The far wall, way down a ways, looked like a ginormous garage door, but it was shut currently. In the dead center of the room was a large elevator. This one though, like the last, looked like the kind of elevator made to lift and lower vehicles. Size wise, the elevator was tall enough to fit a large truck, but where the elevator ended, bricks continued. It was like a giant chimneystack and around that chimneystack was a lifted, metal deck that connected to walkways that were suspended in the air all the way to the walls of the room.

"That sounds kind of segregated."

She chuckled, "No, it's not like that. The human side of base is just built for human sized people. The 'bots are allowed, they just have to be in holoform to fit. The blended area is built with walkways and stuff so we can interact easier." Annabelle pointed to the grated walkways that seemed to go around the entire edge of this room, plus the ones traveling toward the elevator. "The only real rule is that humans aren't allowed down in the Autobot area without prior permission."

I tilted my head slightly as Annabelle pushed me toward the big elevator in the middle of the room, "I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say Jackie's lab is in the Autobot area?"

"Yeah, but that's ok. That rule…well, it doesn't really apply to _us_." Annabelle replied. She pressed her thumb against the down button outside the grated doors. "At least, my friends and I have never gotten in trouble for going down there. I doubt Tyler, Taylor, or Peter have ever gotten scolded for it either."

I laughed as the grated doors noisily pulled up, "So our 'bots play favorites?"

"You could say that." She pushed me in then turned to address the buttons. Like the last elevator, there was really only two. Up and down. She pushed the down one and I watched the grated door close before the elevator slowly began to move. "I'm just hoping no one is waiting outside the elevator for us. That'd be awkward."

She could say that again. I could picture Ratchet standing there waiting for us. An alarm having gone off in his head the moment I pushed myself out of bed. I shrugged, "That meeting Ratchet's at isn't in the Autobot area is it?"

"No. It's part of the blended area in Hanger 3."

"How many hangers are there?" I asked. The elevator was still slowly moving down. I wondered exactly how deep down their area was.

Annabelle paused in thought, "Six, unless I'm forgetting one. The place we were just in was Hanger 1. That one isn't used for much. It's basically just a pass through area. That's why it was so empty today. Not many people are coming or going on Sunday evening. It also has one of the three elevators that can take people down to the Autobot area. All the other hangers are designed for certain things. Hanger 3 is usually where they have meetings because there's this giant computer screen that allows them to make calls to the pentagon or wherever. It's against the wall in front of a walkway, deck area where humans can sit or stand and behind that the 'bots can stand in their bipedal mode."

"Wow." I breathed, "I can't wait to actually tour this place without having to hide from Ratchet."

Annabelle chuckled and the elevator came to a stop. The solid screen lifted first, then the grate followed next. She pushed me out and I glanced around curiously. This space looked just like the one we had just been in both in size and what filled it. The only difference was that this area had no walkways. I noticed three large archways. One was straight ahead and it showed a huge hallway that I couldn't see the end of. The other two was on either side of the room.

"So, Annabelle-" I began, but paused with a frown, "Can I call you something else? I mean, do you strictly go by Annabelle or do you have nicknames?"

She began to push me toward the archway to the left, "You can call me whatever. My dad calls me Annie, the girls on the cheer team call me Ann, my friends on the soccer team call me Lennox- which is the only one that sounds weird, but I guess it's because I'm so used to hearing my dad be called that." She chuckled, "Then Lex and Eli call me AB. Honestly, I think the only people who call me Annabelle is Aubrey and Ironhide."

"Aubrey's got this thing for real names. She's not much of a nickname person." I replied with a shrug, "AB, though?"

"Yeah", She began, "Lex, Eli, and I grew up on base really. The military and the 'bots have always been a part of our lives. As a joke, when we were kids, we tried to make nicknames for each other like people on base did. We just go by our first letter. L for Lex, E for Eli, and AB for Annabelle."

Although, I like the idea of calling her ' _AB'_ , just because how short it was, it seemed like something meant for the three of them. I nodded once, "Ann it is."

It momentarily grew quiet between us as I took in our surroundings. The giant hallway, with towering concrete walls, could be seen as intimidating, but the large overhead lights kept it from looking creepy. Every once in a while the concrete walls would be interrupted by an electronic looking door or a large window looking structure. So far I've seen a window that overlooked a snowy plain, one that was on the beach, and another showing the stars. Technology obviously played a role.

"Jackie's lab isn't too far away. If you ever planned on going in deeper in this area you should probably have a 'bot with you." Annabelle commented, "It would take at least an hour for us to hike out to their living spaces."

I blinked in surprise and quickly shook my head. What had I been trying to ask her before I got distracted by her name?

"Oh." I breathed, "Hey, so I never got a chance to ask Aubrey, but do you like live on base?"

It was something we briefly talked about. All I knew though was that Aubrey was leaving later tonight with Lucas so she could take him to school in the morning. She made it sound like she usually is off base with him during the week, but the conversation had been interrupted by Ratchet's hourly testing of my vitals.

"Only on weekends. The soldiers on base have barracks they stay in, but my family, Eli's family, and Lex's family have apartments here on base. Peter has one that's big enough for his family when they come to visit, but they usually live off base. Taylor has one too, but I'm pretty sure Tyler sleeps in the barracks." She paused briefly, "During the week we live in Vegas. We have this big, shared house where Eli, Monique, Lex, Aubrey, Lucas, and I live. It has a garage big enough for any guardians looking to stay too."

I nodded, "What about Eli and Lex's parents? I don't think I've met or heard about them yet…have I?"

"Monique is Eli's mom. His dad is Robert Epps." She replied. I had heard of the Epps guy obviously. "Lex's parents are Sam and Mikaela Witwicky." It dawned on me then that someone had mentioned that they were Lex's parents. Was it Smokescreen? I think so. Regardless, it'd be nice to finally put a face to the name of both kids. "Sam is the Autobot designated liaison and Mikaela was hired by the military as a mechanic. I'm not sure of the details, but I know she works mostly on the real vehicles."

"Right. It's Taylor who works in the medbay with Hatchet."

"Exactly."

Annabelle slowed as we came to a left turn. She stopped in front of the space and I stared down this new, shorter hallway to see a giant electronic door with a keypad beside it. On the right hallway wall was a smaller window showing more stars and on the floor was a thick, red line from wall to wall. She pushed me down the hallway, but stopped halfway when we came to the line.

"What's up?" I turned in my seat to look at her.

She nodded toward the line wit ha shrug, "That big, red line on the floor? Humans aren't supposed to pass it." Annabelle forced a small smile, "And that rule _does_ apply to us."

Her hesitance had returned. I shook my head, "I can go on from here. If anyone questions you about coming this far, you can blame me. Tell your dad that I kidnapped you and held you hostage."

Annabelle laughed, "Talking my way out of trouble with him is easy. I had that mastered by time I turned 10." She shook her head, "It's Hide who's going to be pissed."

"Ironhide. Your guardian?"

She nodded, "He's…very overprotective of my family. Especially, Lucas and I."

"Well, you can blame me with him too." I grinned, "I mean, if I can handle a pissy Barricade, a moody Megatron, a fire-breathing Grimlock, and an explosive prone Wheeljack for two whole months than what's the big deal about a trigger happy weapons specialist?"

She laughed again, "Your life sounds really exciting."

"I don't know about exciting." I replied, " _Stressful_ is the more accurate term and honestly I'm still not sure any of this is real. I'm pretty sure I lost my marbles that morning I woke up to a kitchen full of tiny Autobots."

Annabelle pushed me forward and the two of us crossed the red line without a second glance. Honestly, the red line seemed fitting. What sane human would willingly venture into Wheeljack's lab?

"I'm sorry." Annabelle said suddenly.

My eyes widened, "Huh?"

"I'm sorry for being kinda cold to you when we first met and yesterday." She continued, "You're…not what I expected. I'm glad you're here and I'm glad that Aubrey, Taylor, Tyler, Peter, and all the 'bots have you back." She paused once more, "I guess…I'm just happy to have you as part of the family."

A slow smile spread across my features, even though she couldn't see it, "Thanks, Ann. That means a lot to me to hear you say that. Besides, I totally get it. Some weirdo comes flying through a magic portal and people tell you she's your aunt? I would've reacted the same way. Actually, I probably would've been worse. I don't handle new, weird things well."

She came to a stop in front of the door and I wondered how the hell we were going to get in. I also wondered how come we hadn't seen anyone. It made sense, I guess. There were only so many 'bots on base and most were probably at that meeting. Shit, was Wheeljack at that meeting? This entire trip would be for nothing. I would've risked putting Annabelle and myself in the way of Ratchet's wrath for an empty lab.

"Hang on." Annabelle said. I glanced back to see she had pulled out her phone. She typed a few things and I followed her gaze in time to see the high up keypad flash green. She must have noticed my questioning gaze because she smiled with a nod, "They gave us this programming in our xScreens that lets us type in codes from the floor. That way we can get into rooms in case of emergencies. It only works on the doors I have codes for."

The door didn't open despite the flashing light. I nodded toward it, "How come it's not opening?"

"I don't have Wheeljack's lab code, but I have the invitation code. It's like a doorbell. He'll come and open the door."

Another few seconds passed before the metal door slid open quickly and I was suddenly staring at a big pair of white, metal feet. My eyes slowly slid up the very familiar color scheme until they landed on two bright, navy blue eyes and two glowing fins.

"Shit, Jackie." I breathed with a crooked smile, "You're tall as hell."

In my wheelchair, I probably only came up to his knees. Wheeljack took a step back and vented in air, which sounded kind of like a gasp. He shook his head, "Aj? Ann? What are you two doing here?"

"I'm here to rip you a new one." I pointed up at him. "Now get me eye level so I can do this proper."

Wheeljack glanced around and took another step back. His lab was probably as big as that hanger we were just in, but it was far from empty. There were two Cybertronian sized lab benches that started about ten feet away from me and spanned across the room. The lab benches looked cluttered from where I sat and the walls themselves were covered with shelves of items. Wheeljack's ways of organization looked something along the lines of ' _toss it aside and maybe come back to it later'._

"I could put you-" He knelt down and reached for the wheelchair, but paused suddenly. His fins flashed brightly once and he shook his head, "Whoops, no. I can't do that. Hang on."

Annabelle and I watched as he transformed down to his alt-mode. It looked exactly like it had back at the house, but now it was the size of an actual freaking car. I chuckled to myself in amusement. The driver's door swung open and Wheeljack's holoform stepped out. His short, curly hair was a mess and he wore his usual outfit of a black shirt with a thick khaki jacket over it and faded blue jeans.

His face broke out into a wide grin as he walked over, "Aj-"

" _Hey_!" I interrupted him as I snapped my arm out to point at him accusingly. He stopped a step in front of me and glanced over at Annabelle before looking back at me. I slowly crossed my arms, "I get all sorts of visitors this weekend and yet this is the first I'm seeing of you? _Explain_."

Wheeljack rubbed the back of his neck, "I've been meaning to come, truly, but I got caught up in this project I'm working on for your knee. It's been going well, but a few bugs came up-"

"My knee?" I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion.

He nodded, "Well, yes. We got images back from the human surgeon who operated on you in Vegas." Yesterday, Ratchet had finally taken the time to explain who worked on my knee. Apparently, I had been taken into a Vegas hospital to have the reconstructive surgery. Although Ratchet was confident in his knowledge on human anatomy and physiology now, he told me that application was entirely different. It was the only reason why he hadn't been working on my knee. Of course, he had taken it upon himself to handle my post-op care. "His opinion is that your knee is as good as it's going to get, but the damage was so extensive that… Did Ratchet not tell you this?"

"Ratchet didn't tell me shit. Continue."

Wheeljack's holoform sighed and he rubbed his face, "Even after physical therapy, the doctor was worried you'd still have trouble walking. That you'd need a cane at the least for the rest of your life." My eyes widened at this news and it felt like my heart plummeted into my stomach. Wheeljack noticed this and stepped closer, "I've been working on a special knee brace though. I spent _all_ of Saturday researching the braces used on humans currently and added my own improvements to it. I think, once it's complete, this brace will allow you full movement with no handicap whatsoever. It's…It's the _least_ that I can do. I'm so sorry, Aj."

Any shock I had over the news slowly drifted away at his words. Wheeljack's holoform looked torn apart. I shook my head, "None of this was your fault, Jackie. I don't need an apology from you. Pit, I _don't_ want one."

"You were left behind." He said firmly and there was anger and frustration in his voice, "I should've looked over the machine better. There were so many other possibilities I could've explored that may have improved our travel. It could have brought you through and the younglings-"

"It's not your fault. _None_ of it." I repeated myself firmly. Slowly, I let my smile come back, "Now get your holoform ass down here to hug me."

With a smile of his own, Wheeljack leaned over and embraced me. It was a bit difficult because of the chair, but neither of us let that hinder us. He tightened his arms, "I have really missed you, Aj. It's good to have you home."

Home. It was the first time someone used it in this context. In fact, before this moment the word ' _home'_ would have me picturing the house filled with scorch marks, bullet holes, and a broken microwave. That wasn't home anymore though. It stopped being home the moment I watched my family walk through the portal. My home was where they were. I was finally home.

"It's good to be home." I chuckled and he pulled away from me.

Annabelle frowned, "I had no idea your knee was that bad. Are you gonna be ok?"

"I'll be fine." I shrugged. Admittedly, I was a bit worried. I didn't have a lot going for me talent wise other than the fact that my body was in tiptop shape. I was athletic, I could fight. That was really all I had. Without a properly working knee I was sunk. However, I trusted in Ratchet and Wheeljack. They'd get me patched up. I grinned at Annabelle and began my exaggeration, "Back in my universe, I got shot in the gut. Two days later I was jogging around, good as new."

Wheeljack shook his head with a frown, "That is extremely inaccurate. You were in a coma for four days."

"Minor detail."

Annabelle chuckled, but stopped when her phone chimed. Wheeljack brightened, "Oh, I have an xScreen prepared for you, Aj. It has all our comm links connected to it, the numbers to-"

"Ratchet knows we're gone." Annabelle blurted in panic.

I blinked, "Well, _shit_."

"He didn't know you were here?" Wheeljack cried, he shook his head, "Oh, I should've known he wouldn't let you out already!"

"What do we do?" Annabelle questioned the mech.

He shrugged, "I don't know. Ratchet is going to offline us all."

"You should run, Ann. Save yourself. Jackie and I are goners." I replied.

Wheeljack turned to look at me in surprise, "Wait, why do I have to be a goner too?" His eyes went blank for a second and then he groaned, "Oh, Ratchet is already sending me angry comms."

"Luke must have told him where we went." Annabelle sighed, "He can't keep a secret from Ratchet."

I chuckled, "Seriously, Ann. You've done enough. You should run or hide or something."

"And leave my trouble making aunt hanging?" Annabelle smiled, "I don't think so. We'll suffer his wrath together."

"Ironhide is coming too." Wheeljack announced.

Annabelle's smile faltered, " _Shit_."

Since the three of us had accepted our doomed fate there was no need to panic. Instead, Wheeljack transformed back to his alt mode and began to give me a quick tour of his lab by pointing things out or bringing things over. Annabelle seemed interested too so this must have been the first time she was in here for an extended amount of time. The tour was cut short a few minutes later when we heard the sound of squealing tires. I glanced over my shoulder in time to see a hummer rescue vehicle and big, black truck turn the corner and speed in. Ratchet transformed on the go and by the look in his eyes I could tell he was pissed.

" _Hiya_." I said sheepishly. His gaze snapped over to Wheeljack and he began to bark out in Cybertronian. My eyes darted over to Ironhide. He looked exactly like he did in the movies, which meant he looked exactly like the truck Nicholas had been driving back in my universe. I couldn't help but tense.

Ironhide didn't transform. He just threw open his driver's door without a word. Annabelle sighed, "Yeah, he's pissed. I'm gonna go."

"Sorry for getting you into trouble."

She waved the worry away, "He's overreacting. I'll see you next weekend, Aj. Maybe then you can meet Lex and Eli."

"Yeah, definitely." I tilted my head towards the yelling Cybertronian, "That is if I live that long."

Annabelle laughed and gave me a quick hug before walking over to Ironhide. She jumped in and the truck peeled out of the room. I turned my attention back to Ratchet who was still yelling at the shamefaced Engineer.

"Oh come on, Ratchet. Leave him be. He didn't know I was going to sneak out." I called out.

The medic snapped his attention to me, "Oh, don't get me started with you, youngling."

"Ratchet-" I tried to start, but he interrupted me with a sharp sound from his mouth. He bent over and carefully picked the wheelchair and me up. I let out a startled cry, but he ignored me and began to leave the lab. "Bye, Jackie!"

He returned the farewell before Ratchet and I got into the hallway. Ratchet didn't say a word as he carried me out into the main hallway. We made it to the elevator room a lot faster than when Annabelle and I were heading there. In fact, the hallway seemed a hell of a lot shorter now.

"I don't get why you're so pissed. I'm _fine_." I snapped. "Besides, I told you I couldn't just sit there." He didn't reply and walked right past the elevator. I narrowed my eyes in confusion, but didn't comment as he walked through the archway to the right of the elevator. "Seriously, Ratchet. You didn't even tell me that my doctor thinks I'll be a cripple for the rest of my life. I have a long list to be pissed about, but am I? Not really. You have no right to be angry. _I_ should be angry."

Still, the medic didn't reply to my rant. The hallway we walked down looked a lot like the last, but it forked into two directions. Ratchet picked the one to the right, which eventually led to a metal door with a keypad. He typed in a code and the door slid open.

Inside was a medbay.

The medbay above was small compared to this one. The one up top only had two metal beds and a couple stands of what I assumed were supplies. This one had four metal beds on the left and four across from them on the right. Between each bed looked like attachments that could be used to make privacy dividers and there were cabinets and tables against the walls behind each bed with various devices and supplies. In the back left corner was a large desk and bookshelf-looking thing filled with datapads and other items, glass walls surrounded the area separating it from the actual room. Against the far back wall beside the desk area was another metal door.

I raised an eyebrow and opened my mouth to question it, but Ratchet finally spoke, "The medbay on the ground level is for minor repairs. It's also where the human room you were in is located. This is my main medbay. It's also where my office is located. The door back there leads to a storage area which leads to another elevator to the ground level."

Ratchet walked across the room to the door and typed in another code. Like he said the next room was split into two. The left side was storage and the right side was a waiting area of sorts with chairs. An archway led out into a hallway beyond this space and that's where the elevator was. This one was giant though and had an actual metal closing door rather than just a gated one. A Grimlock sized mech could fit inside in his bipedal mode. Ratchet keyed in another code and when the doors opened he stepped in with me and hit a button.

"Why the _fuck_ aren't you yelling at me? I don't like this. This is weird."

"Language." Ratchet replied irritably. He mumbled, " _I swear to Primus_ …"

The elevator went up and opened up to a similar space as below. He walked through this hallway and ended up back in the original medbay where my bed was. Ratchet set my wheelchair into my room. I heard him transform behind me and before the sounds were even complete I felt his holoform appear at my back. He pushed me across the room and I begrudgingly let him help me back into bed.

Rather than leaving though, he sat down in the chair beside me bed. I stared at him as he stared at his hands. It was silent for another minute or two before he began to speak without looking up, "I know you hate being confined to this berth. I understand that." He nodded his head once and slowly brought his sea-green eyes up to meet mine. "But I want- I need you to promise me that this won't happen again."

"Ratchet-" I argued.

"No. Listen to me." He barked and my eyes widened in surprise. Ratchet shook his head once, "I cannot… We cannot lose you again. There are things you don't quite yet understand, but if you wander out of this room and run into the wrong person… The government doesn't know you exist yet, and if they even tried to take you-… We would not let them and that would become a problem."

I bit my lip, "If the government needs to- to _question_ me, or whatever, then maybe- I mean, wouldn't it be easier if we just _let_ them?"

"You were gone for twenty years." Ratchet said firmly, "If you think I'm going to let those bloated, glitching government officials keep you from us for one moment longer-"

I shook my head, "Why does it matter?" He glared at me and I sighed, "I said that wrong. What I meant was… twenty years is a big deal to humans, but to y'all… it's nothing, right? I was gone, you blinked, and suddenly I was back?"

Ratchet's face softened, "I see your reasoning. I understand it." He paused before continuing, "But what you don't understand is our view of time has changed since we befriended humans."

"How so?"

"Time never mattered to us. Centuries would go by and most of our kind wouldn't even really notice. It matters here though." He sighed, "For twenty years, we watched so much change with Tyler, Taylor, and Peter. Even with Aubrey and…and _Wes_. We see it again with Annabelle, Lex, and Eli. With Lennox and Epps. All the soldiers. Time affects you humans so greatly. A year passes and everything changes. Five years go by and _everything_ is different." Ratchet scoffed lightly, "Aubrey has a new youngling. Peter…Peter has a youngling of his own. All this time passes and it truly affects us now because change is _visibly_ happening before us. I've lived through thousands of years where nothing has happened, nothing has changed. Yet here on this small, organic planet… twenty years is gone and…"

The room was filled with silence between us. I hadn't ever really thought about it like that. I always just assumed.

Ratchet cleared his throat, "Perhaps if we had been on Cybertron and you were the only physical human we knew…perhaps then it would've been like a blink of an optic. We wouldn't have noticed a thing. Here though? We were reminded every 24 Earth hours that you were gone. Things kept changing, but the only thing that stayed the same was your _absence_."

"I'm sorry, Ratchet." I replied softly.

"There's no need to be." He nodded and stood up, "I just needed you to understand."

I leaned back against my propped up bed, "I won't leave again. I'll stay put. Promise."

There was another beat of silence before Ratchet sighed and spoke, "How about tomorrow…I take you around base. As long as I'm with you then we can avoid those we need to avoid-"

" _Really_?" I cried in excitement. He nodded once and I bounced in place, "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Ratchet's lips twitched up in amusement, but he walked around my bed and busied himself with my IV in prep for my nightly meds. While he did so, I spoke, "Not to push it or anything, but could I also get a shower tomorrow? That would make you just the _best_ mech in _all_ the known universes."

Ratchet rolled his eyes and didn't bother to reply to my request. However, his smile had only grown when I shot him the cheesiest grin possible. Ratchet huffed and lightly grabbed my left arm to hook my IV in, "You'll be the cause of my offlining."

"Love you too, Ratchet."


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: Hah. Told y'all I wasn't dead. I've just been INSANELY busy. I'm gonna try and dedicate more time to this story, but to be honest my inspiration to write has been dwindling. You know what could help that? MESSAGES AND REVIEWS. I swear on everything, I'm not just saying that. Reading y'all's reviews and opinions on this story make me want to write more._

 _But sorry again for taking a million years to update and also sorry this isnt as long as my chapters usually are. I just figured you guys would want SOMETHING after all this time lol. Thanks to those who stuck with me through the wait though!_

* * *

Chapter Four:

Pretty Eyes

* * *

 _"Her eyes carried a certain kind of silence that begged to be understood and I felt as if I was a scientist, staring with eager, fervent eyes into galaxies that have not yet had the chance to be named." –Christopher Poindexter_

* * *

"Do you understand the rules?" Ratchet asked for probably the sixth or seventh time. A sarcastic remark was the first thought to flow through my mind, but I bit down on my tongue and swallowed the words. The last thing I needed right now was for Ratchet to revoke my newly given shower privileges.

"Sir, yes, sir." I replied with a bright smile and cheery tone. To make eye contact with him, I had to tilt my head up since I was in the wheelchair. Ratchet narrowed his holoform's eyes at me skeptically, but didn't push further. He grunted once and pushed my wheelchair into the bathroom.

The bathroom connected to my room wasn't extravagant by any means. It had a toilet in the corner, a sink beside it, and across from both, against the tile wall, was a small shower. The shower's floor had plastic mats down to prevent slippage and the wall jutted out in one side to become a chair of sorts. The showerhead was removable and there was a small shelf that had shampoo, conditioner, and body wash. There was no shower curtain, it only had a glass wall and door.

I had every inch of that shower memorized because every time I came to use the bathroom I'd end up staring longingly at it.

Ratchet walked around me into the shower. He set the soaps down on the floor right next to the wall chair and unhooked the showerhead from the wall. While he did this, I tugged off the weird hospital gown I wore leaving me in only a bra and underwear. It wasn't the stuff I was wearing when I showed up in this universe and I assumed someone had changed me before, during, or after my surgery. I was afraid to ask who.

"I will bring you clothes to change into." Ratchet turned around to push the chair toward the shower door. He helped me up from the wheelchair to the shower seat. He carefully began to unhook the giant brace around my leg.

"What's Taylor doing today?" I asked, "Can you ask her to bring me clothes? Something not hospital looking."

Ratchet rolled his eyes and unwrapped the ace bandage around my knee, "Do not try and move your leg. No bending whatsoever." I nodded and stared at the long, ugly line of staples over my knee. It started an inch or two above my knee and ended a few inches below. Ratchet cleared his throat and my eyes darted up to meet his concerned gaze. "Do you feel any pain?"

"With the-" My voice cracked and I mentally cursed myself, "With the pain meds you got pumping in me, Ratch, I can't feel a damn thing."

"The wound will heal." Ratchet said.

I nodded and swallowed the lump in my throat, "Yeah. Of course. I know."

Scars didn't bother me. Like I had told Sideswipe back in my universe, they weren't that big of a deal. They were a reminder of strength, of _survival_. However, this one felt different. Seeing it made me feel sick to my stomach. It made me remember in full detail the pain I felt when that bat collided with my knee. Getting shot in the stomach had hurt, but the memory of it wasn't seared into my head. I lost a lot of it after losing consciousness. The knee though? That was crystal clear. It was the most intense pain I had felt in my entire life that I could remember, which was saying something considering I spent a number of years as a punching bag.

"There." Ratchet mumbled. He had put this thin metal brace around my knee just to make sure I didn't bend it at all. "Don't wash that leg and try not to get too much water on it either."

I gave him another smile, "You're the boss, Ratch."

He gave me one last concerned look before walking over to the opposite wall and turning on the water for me. It gradually heated up and he didn't leave until the temperature was comfortable to me. Ratchet left the room with one final request of calling for him if I needed help with anything.

The moment the bathroom door shut, I leaned to the left and brought the showerhead to my greasy hair. What better way to start this Monday morning than with clean hair?

* * *

The house was beautiful, that couldn't be argued against. The walls were various shades of light brown brick and the roof was made of clay tiles. A well-kept garden sprawled around the house and a large driveway sat in front of the home. As many cars that visited this house, a huge driveway was mandatory along with the tall, two story garage that sat to the left of the house.

Inside wasn't any less pretty either. With polished wood and tile floors, beige colored walls, and lavish furniture the house lacked nothing. It was also plenty spacious for a family of more than ten. The government paid for all of the costs so size never really was an issue.

As pretty as it was though, it never truly felt like home to Aubrey. She always preferred the base and now that she knew her sister was there it felt wrong to be in this house.

"You don't have to stay, you know. I'll pick Luke up from school."

Aubrey turned her focus away from the dishes in the sink to see Monique Epps standing across the marbled kitchen island. She was a pretty woman in her late thirties. She had dark, clear skin with large expressive eyes and a heart shaped face. Her black hair was slightly curled around her shoulders and today she wore a white blouse and khaki pants. Monique had been one of Aubrey's closest friends since she arrived and met the woman about nineteen or so years ago.

"I am fully capable of picking up all the younglings from school." Ironhide spoke gruffly from where his holoform stood. The holoform looked about her age and wore plain, dark jeans, black boots, a white t-shirt, and a leather jacket over it all. He had a light skin tone and dark brown hair a bit longer than what one would expect from Ironhide, but he kept it pushed back and out of his face. There was also a good amount of scruff on his jawline and a scar over his right eye from a little above his eyebrow down to his cheekbone. The scar didn't prevent him from seeing out of his right eye.

"You're more than capable, but I promised Luke I'd take him to the park after school today." Aubrey replied with a small smile.

Monique crossed her arms, "Are you sure?"

"Positive." Aubrey nodded, "Aimee's not going anywhere on that knee of hers." She turned back around to finish washing dishes as Monique went back to gathering her work items. Aubrey considered her little sister's stubbornness and hatred for sitting still, "At least I _hope_ not…"

* * *

A knock at the door made me jump slightly and I pulled the showerhead away from my hair curiously. Ratchet yelled through the door, "Are you done yet? It's been twenty minutes now."

I rolled my eyes, "Don't get your panties in a bunch, Ratchet."

"If you want to go on a tour of the base we need to leave now to avoid the mid-morning crowd."

Those words got the job done. I sighed and let him know I was done. The shower left me feeling refreshed and renewed. Ratchet breezed into the bathroom with a towel tucked under his arm and a stack of clothes in his hands. I briefly felt embarrassment at the fact that I was still just wearing my undergarments and now they were soaking wet and a bit soapy. However, I forced myself to bite the feelings back. This was Ratchet after all. I trusted him as family and my current physician.

"Here." He handed me the towel after turning the water flow off. Ratchet took the showerhead from me so he could put it back where it belonged. I wrapped the towel around myself loosely and while holding it with one hand I used my other hand to unhook my dripping wet bra. Quickly, I tossed it aside and tried to figure out how I was going to get my wet underwear off while maintaining my dignity. Ratchet looked over at me with concern, "Do you require help?"

" _No_." I blurted loudly. "I got this."

Ratchet rolled his eyes and walked out of the bathroom entirely. I watched him go curiously, but a minute later he was back with a pair of scissors. He handed them to me and I took them with a raised eyebrow.

"Just cut them." He spoke slowly, as if I was hard of hearing. "You aren't overly attached to them are you?"

I grinned and waved the scissors at him, "You're so smart, Ratchet."

"Well one of us should be."

With ease, I slid part of the blade under the sides and cut them. I handed Ratchet the scissors and then used my hand to pull them away. They joined the wet bra on the floor of the shower.

"Are you good?" He asked and I nodded. Ratchet grabbed under my arm and supported me with enough strength that my right foot didn't have to touch the ground. He set me down on lid of the toilet and knelt down with a smaller towel I hadn't seen him bring in, "Keep your leg straight."

Ratchet didn't wait for me to respond. He took off the metal guard and then went about drying my bad leg. I lifted my gaze to the ceiling so I didn't have to stare at my knee. He rose, tossing the damp towel into the sink, and left again. While he was out, I grabbed the stack of clothes within arm reach. The stack consisted of a gray 'ARMY' shirt and black workout shorts. There was also a small pair of underwear and a black sports bra. I set the stack down again and quickly pulled the sports bra on. Before I could pull the shirt on, Ratchet came back in with a roll of ace bandages and a different brace than I had on earlier. It was smaller than the other and made of metal.

"Is that the one Wheeljack said he was making me?"

"No." Ratchet set the brace down and began to wrap my knee carefully with the ace bandage, "He won't be done with that for a while. This is just a standard brace for your kind of injury. It will lock your knee and prevent movement."

"Fancy." I commented and watched as he picked up the brace. The metal brace opened up, allowing him to place it over my knee, and then snap it closed. Ratchet twisted something and I could feel it tighten around my knee. The contraption went from mid thigh to about mid shin. He spun this circular knob on the side and I heard it click a few times.

Ratchet stood back up and I assumed it was correctly in place. I wasn't about to test it by trying to bend my knee.

"Hand me your undergarment."

"Excuse me?" I raised an eyebrow at him.

Ratchet huffed unhappily, "Oh please, this isn't fun for either of us, you know. Just hand it over."

I picked up the fresh underwear and handed to him. Ratchet knelt down and carefully placed both my legs through the holes and tugged it up until it was about mid shin. He held out his hand to me and I smiled then handed him my pants as well. Ratchet took them and did the same thing. This way I wouldn't have to struggle to bend over and stick my legs in myself, "Can you handle it from here without hurting yourself?"

"Yupp." I grinned at him and he rose. Ratchet gave me a pointed look that I understood to mean ' _Be fucking careful, you disaster of a human'_ , and then left the room. When the door shut I finished the job of pulling my underwear up. I was extra careful to not put any weight on my leg. The last thing I needed was to get hurt doing something simple. Ratchet would stick me in a padded room and never let me leave.

It took a couple minutes to get my clothes on then I spent the next minute or two drying my hair with my already damp towel. My hair always grew fast, but now it seemed much longer than it was when I left my universe. Was that just in my head? The light brown locks brushed the top of my shoulders.

"Ratchet?"

The mech came back in and helped me back into my wheelchair. He pushed me out and I felt so much gratitude towards him. What in the world would I do without Ratchet? As much as I probably annoyed him most days, he was without a doubt the mech I owed the most to. He was the one who brought me back to life as I bled out on my kitchen floor and he was the one who reminded me that I could let my guard down and allow someone else to care for me. He pushed me towards the edge of the floor on the far left side of the room and let his holoform disappear as his bipedal mode stand up to his full height. He picked me up carefully, wheelchair and all, and carried me out of the room.

"Ratchet?" I spoke up again.

He looked down toward me in alarm. My tone had been softer and he must have thought something was wrong. Ratchet nodded, "Yes? Are you comfortable? Any pain?"

I opened my mouth, wanting to express to him how thankful I really was, but I couldn't find the words to say. Embarrassedly, I cleared my throat and crossed my arms, "I- I um, I thought we were going down the other elevator. The one to your real medbay?"

Ratchet glanced up and walked down the hall to the archway that would lead out into the hanger I had visited with Annabelle yesterday. He nodded once and set me down in front of the archway, "Yes well, Lennox would like to see you first."

"Oh, ok." I replied. I continued to stare ahead at the light at the portion of the hanger I could see. The sound of voices could be heard faintly. Ratchet transformed behind me, and suddenly his holoform was pushing me forward again. I glanced back to see his alt mode trailing behind us.

It took only a moment to get into the hanger and this time it was filled with life. Soldiers were walking about or stopping in various places to talk. Most of them wore the same type of uniform, but the colors differed and I figured that was the difference between what branch they served. I didn't see any Autobots or flashy cars.

"There are so many soldiers." I mumbled and ran a hand through my damp hair, trying to discreetly straighten it. A few random soldiers glanced over at me offering nods to me and greetings to the medic pushing me. Ratchet always grunted in reply. I chuckled and watched a group of three fairly attractive, male soldiers walk across from us, "Man, I think I could get used to this place."

"What?"

I glanced over my shoulder with a grin, "Haven't you heard, Ratch? Women would kill for a good looking guy in uniform." Ratchet continued to push me forward, but I saw him roll his eyes once more before I turned back around. He suddenly came to a stop in front of the Autobot elevator in the middle of the room.

I could see Lennox standing a few feet ahead talking to a blond soldier wearing a similar uniform to Lennox. My eyes drifted down the soldier's backside admiringly. With a chuckle, I leaned back to speak again to Ratchet, "You see that, Ratchet? You could bounce a dime off that fine military grade ass."

What I expected was for Ratchet to either scold me, groan in annoyance, or some combination of the two. The mech threw me for a loop though when he instead just chuckled at my comment. I narrowed my eyes and turned around to make sure it was still Ratchet pushing me.

"I always knew you liked my aft. Mine better be the only one you're admiring though."

My head snapped back around to see the blond soldier had turned around to face me. It took me a moment to recognize my favorite trouble causing mech, but only because he was using his true holoform and I wasn't used to him looking so put together. Still, no matter what clothes he wore or how he wore them, I'd always recognize that shit-eating grin.

" _Sideswipe_." I breathed in surprise.

He crossed the space toward me and without hesitation I pushed myself out of the wheelchair. I heard Ratchet yell out, and I felt his fingers just barely graze my back as he tried to pull me back down, but I was in the air. I had used my good leg to bounce off the ground and propel myself forward. A part of my mind scolded me for being so careless and braced for the impact that was sure to come, but instead my faith was rewarded. Sideswipe easily caught me in his arms and pulled me tightly against his chest. My bare toes brushed against the floor briefly before Sideswipe arched his back a bit pulling them up higher.

Sideswipe pulled his face away from the crook of my neck to noisily plant kisses all over my face as I laughed. Ratchet's complaints could be heard behind us, but neither of us paid him any mind. I grinned at him when he paused from the onslaught of kisses, "Did you miss me?"

" _Babe_ ", Sideswipe leaned forward and pressed one last kiss against my temple, "You have _no_ _fragging_ _idea_."

I chuckled and let my eyes trace over his features, "You're using your real holoform."

"Have been for twenty years now." He replied with a smirk.

"Will you put her down?" Ratchet barked.

I didn't have the time, or the words, to tell Sideswipe how proud I was that he was using his real holoform. So instead, I pressed my own lips against the scar on his face to show my approval. Sideswipe's smile softened as mine grew. He took a few steps forward and carefully set me back down in the wheelchair.

"Honestly, I should take you right back to the medbay now, youngling." Ratchet scoffed, "And _you_!" Sideswipe tore his gaze away from me to grin at Ratchet who continued to rant, "I said I'd bring her out to see you on the condition that you were _careful_."

Sideswipe shook his head, "I am being careful, Hatchet. I swear."

"For Primus' sake." Ratchet mumbled, "You two weren't gone long enough."

"You know you missed us."

I lifted my arm to get Sideswipe's attention, "Where's Sunstreaker?"

"He's downstairs talking to Prowl. I just popped up here to touch base with Lennox." Sideswipe replied.

Lennox took this moment to step forward. He gave me a firm smile and a quick nod, "Aj. How do you feel?"

"Pretty good." I nodded, "Ratchet has me on some sort of miracle drug. I feel no pain whatsoever."

Lennox chuckled, "I'm glad. Annie and Luke were singing your praises last night before they left with Hide."

"Oh yeah?" A smile grew on my features at his words.

"Yeah. Annie was begging me to let you meet Lex and Eli sometime this week."

My eyebrows furrowed in confusion, "I didn't realize I wasn't allowed to meet them. Am I secret or something?"

Lennox blinked once in surprise before shaking his head with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, "We're just being cautious. Since you came through a magic portal and all."

"Ah, right." I mumbled as Ratchet grumbled under his breath that the portal wasn't magic. Lennox said a quick good-bye to the three of us before turning on his heel to leave the hanger. My gaze drifted back to Sideswipe who was already staring at me with a wide grin. "Why are you staring at me?" I chuckled. " _Stop_."

Sideswipe shook his head and crossed his arms, "I haven't seen my favorite femme in _twenty fragging years_. I'm _allowed_ to ogle at that gorgeous face."

"Stop." I whined again, but I'm sure the smile and blush I wore wasn't very convincing.

Sideswipe tore his gaze away to look at Ratchet, "I'll take her on the grand tour, Hatchet."

"Like Primus you will-"

"Please, Ratchet?" I twisted in my seat and laced my hands together, "Pretty, pretty please? I wanna hang out with Sides and Sunny. I promise to be on my _absolute_ best behavior. No nonsense."

Ratchet scoffed, "In what universe would the three of you being together not equate to a ridiculous amount of nonsense?"

" _Please_?" I pleaded again. Ratchet's firm frown cracked and he sighed in annoyance.

The medic pushed my wheelchair towards Sideswipe, "No walking whatsoever. I don't even want you out of that chair, youngling." I nodded with a grin and Ratchet snapped his glare to the mech now holding the wheelchair's handlebars, "And you. I swear-"

Sideswipe set a hand on his chest and gave the medic a sincere smile, "No funny business, Ratchet. We got her best intentions at spark."

"Back in my medbay by 2 and-"

"Thanks, Ratchet!" I cried as Sideswipe began to push me into the large, vehicle-sized elevator, "You're the best!"

I caught sight of Ratchet's holoform rolling his eyes before it disappeared completely. As the doors shut I also saw a quick glimpse of Ratchet transforming. I twisted in my seat again, "Where are you?"

"Huh?" Sideswipe questioned.

"Where's the _real_ you?" I asked, "It's gonna be so freaking weird to see you as like an _actual_ car."

Sideswipe smirked, "I'm parked my alt mode next to Sunny. Try not to be too impressed, babe. I don't want you _drooling_ over my sexy, red finish."

I laughed loudly as Sideswipe argued that he wasn't joking. Seeing Sideswipe again automatically made this the best day ever. The fact that I was about to see Sunstreaker too put me on cloud nine. For me, I had only been separated from the twins for a couple days now, but it felt so weird to be away from them. To be away from any of them. I was still counting the seconds until Jazz, Bumblebee, and Grimlock made their way back to me.

The elevator doors opened and Sideswipe wasted no time in pushing me out into the hanger. The first thing my eyes landed on was a familiar, cherry red Lamborghini. It was a hell of a lot bigger than I was used to and a bit more modern looking than it had been before, but it was the same alt mode I had grown to know and love. Only a step behind it was a pair of bright yellow legs. My eyes traced up the legs to a familiar, broad chest up to a pair of bright lavender eyes. Sunstreaker's gaze was locked onto me the moment Sideswipe and I stepped out of the elevator. I had no idea my smile could grow anymore, but seeing that bright yellow mech had me grinning from ear to ear. If I could fling myself up from this wheelchair and run to greet him I would. However, I'm pretty positive Ratchet had some sort of ' _Aj is doing stupid shit_ ' sense that went off anytime I even thought of disobeying him.

I lifted my hand and gave him a short wave. Sunstreaker's lips twitched up at the corner. The sound of a holoform shutting down filled the air and was immediately replaced by the sound of transforming as the red alt mode unfolded into a mech. Sideswipe, once fully transformed, stood in front of his brother with his arms outstretched and a bright grin on his face.

He shook his hands, "Ta-da!"

I let out a laugh as Sunstreaker set his hand against the side of Sideswipe's face and pushed him away. Sideswipe chirped something out in Cybertronian, but Sunstreaker moved past him toward me. He began to kneel down only to stop and turn his head with a sudden frown. It was only then that I realized there was another Cybertronian in the hanger all together. I wasn't sure how I missed Prowl who stood only a few yards away from Sunstreaker with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Oh, Prowl." I waved to him as well, "Hey there."

"Aj." Prowl nodded his head once in my direction, "Are you feeling well?"

"Never better."

Sunstreaker let out a huff of air, "Is there a reason why you're still here?"

Prowl replied in Cybertronian. Sunstreaker narrowed his eyes in a glare before turning to stare at his brother. Sideswipe and Sunstreaker shared an internal argument, I could see it on their faces, and it made me chuckle to myself. Both glanced at me once before Sideswipe threw his hands up, "Fine. Fine. I'll do it." Sideswipe pointed at me, "Be a good femme. No walking or standing."

"Ok, Ratchet." I replied. Sideswipe grinned and folded back down into his alt mode before speeding away down one of the halls. Prowl mumbled something with a shake of his head and transformed himself before chasing after Sideswipe.

My gaze drifted back to Sunstreaker to find his eyes already on me. My grin returned as Sunstreaker knelt down in front of me. There was so much that was familiar. With a quick glance, I'd say he looked just like he did back at the house just a lot fucking bigger, but that wasn't the entire truth. The dark gray and black metal that showed beneath his yellow armor had more detail. There was a softness to his features that I hadn't seen before, but maybe that was something I just hadn't noticed. The biggest difference was his eyes. They were still that pretty shade of light lavender with a darker shade that moved as he willed it, his pupil of sorts, but there was so much detail in his eyes, detail and emotions. If I weren't so dead set on getting taken on a tour of the base, I'd sit here and stare all day.

"Hey there, Sunny." I grinned.

Sunstreaker chuckled once, his smile lingering as he spoke, "Don't call me that." He reached forward, but I watched as his hand hesitated for a moment. His smile faltered briefly, "Can I…Do you trust me?"

It felt like a silly question. Then again, who would've ever guessed that I'd ever consider that a silly question. Me, the girl who had trust issues to spare. Yet, here I was stuck in a wheelchair staring up at a giant metal alien from outer space feeling safe and overjoyed. I trusted Sunstreaker. I trusted all my mechs.

I raised an eyebrow at him and crossed my arms, "Like you even need to ask."

Sunstreaker looked almost smug at my words. He didn't wait another second to carefully scoop me into the palm of his hand as he used his other hand to steady me. Sunstreaker stood up slowly so I didn't get a head rush, which I appreciated, but once he was at full height I realized just how high up from the ground I was.

"Damn." I mumbled before pulling the brake on my wheelchair to prevent it from rolling back and forth. Carefully, I began to push myself out of the chair.

"Hey." Sunstreaker pressed his finger against my abdomen to keep me from rising, "Didn't Sides _just_ go over the rules with you."

"Oh, come on." I gave him the best pleading look that I could muster, "I was gonna sit here once I got out. I just don't wanna sit in the chair while in your hand. Please?"

Sunstreaker vented out a sigh, but moved his finger back some. Getting out of the chair was a lot easier with Sunstreaker's help. Once I was out of it, and sitting in the center of his palm. Sunstreaker grabbed the chair and threw it into his subspace. At least that's what I assumed he did. I seriously doubt Sunstreaker took magic lessons while I was gone.

He pressed the side of his hand against the center of his chest and I scooted back far enough until my back was leaning against him, "Thanks, Sunshine."

"Please don't tell me we're starting this up again." Sunstreaker remarked about my name of choice for him. He began to walk forward.

I shook my head, "I'm running through some of my old favorite nicknames. I just gotta find something to call you permanently. Sunny is Sideswipe's thing."

"You could always call me Sunstreaker."

"I've been gone for too long if you think I'm gonna settle for your actual name."

There was a brief pause before Sunstreaker replied, "You have been gone for too long."

I craned my neck up to look at him, but his gaze was focused dead ahead as he navigated through the hallways. I wasn't entirely sure how to reply to that so instead I just pressed my hand against his chest and cleared my throat, "So? You gonna take me on a kickass tour or what?"

Sunstreaker chuckled and the unofficial tour started.

The mech walked me through the halls pointing out various areas, some like Wheeljack's lab and Ratchet's medbay I had seen before but others were new. The main rec room, which doubled as their food hall, was a few halls down from Ratchet's medbay. It was large and filled with Cybertronian sized furniture. This was also the first time I've seen their source of energon. The setup actually reminded me of an oversized vending machine. Sunstreaker surprisingly laughed at all the coffee related jokes I made, but he made it clear that he didn't miss the pseudo-energon.

"How come it's so dead down here?" I questioned as Sunstreaker carried me down a new hall. He didn't seem to tire of my million questions about him, his twin, or the base so I just kept them coming. "We saw Jackie working, but we haven't seen any other mechs."

"It's early afternoon on a Monday. They're busy."

"How many Cybertronians live here again?"

"Counting Sides and I? 15."

I let out a low whistle. That didn't seem like much considering how big and widespread their underground base was. Then again, what did I really know about Cybertronian architecture? To their eyes this area probably still seemed too small.

"Hey! Welcome back, Sunstreaker!"

It was a new voice that cut through the air. The voice itself was deep and gruff, but there was a friendly tone that rang throughout it. I could feel Sunstreaker tense, and before I could question him he mumbled in my direction, "You jinxed us."

Slowly, Sunstreaker turned around. I grinned at the sight of a new mech. He was shorter than Sunstreaker, but almost all mechs were. If I had to guess I'd say this new mech was either the same height or a bit taller than Ratchet. He had dark green paint and was thickly built around his midsection. It also looked like he had a military style helmet atop his head. His eyes were a very light blue, almost gray, and they were kind.

"Hound." Sunstreaker replied curtly. Hound smiled and didn't seem surprised or upset by Sunstreaker's lackluster greeting.

Hound's eyes drifted to me, and he lifted one hand in greeting, "Well hello, you must be Aj. I've heard a lot about you."

"Good things I hope." I replied with a grin, "So you're the famous Hound? Creator of the holoforms?"

Hound chuckled, "I wouldn't say creator. Jackie did a lot of work on 'em. I just provided an idea and a base to work with." The mech glanced away to meet Sunstreaker's gaze and nodded, "I should be on my way though. Nice meeting you, Aj, and nice to see you again Sunstreaker."

The yellow mech made a noise of acknowledgement before continuing in the direction we had been heading. I knocked my elbow into his chest lightly, "What was that about?"

"I'm not in the mood for small talk." He replied. "I like Hound. He's a good mech, but there isn't much to catch up on with him."

I caught the meaning behind his words. Sunstreaker wanted to spend his free time talking to me, catching up with me. I already knew the yellow mech wasn't overly social like his brother tended to be. He was more of a one on one kind of guy. My smile returned at the thought of that. It felt kind of good to be one of the few people that Sunstreaker would actively seek one on one time with.

"Sideswipe's done with Prowl. He'll meet us at our room."

"Ooh!" I chirped, "I'm gonna get to see your room?"

Sunstreaker shook his head, "There isn't much to see."

The few doors we passed Sunstreaker explained that they were spare rooms and that if I turned right at the end of this hallway I'd find Bluestreak, Hound, and Jazz's rooms. Sunstreaker took a left instead and the sight of a red mech leaning against the wall greeted me. Sideswipe stood next to a large metal, sliding door.

"Took you two long enough. I've been waiting here forever." Sideswipe groaned and pushed himself off the wall.

Sunstreaker scoffed, "You got here a klik before us."

"Well it sure as pit felt like forever." Sideswipe countered and turned to type something into the pad by the door. "Babe, do you have your xScreen with you?"

I shook my head, "I don't have one, period."

"But I thought Wheeljack…" Sideswipe's gaze lifted to his brother's. They were silent for the quickest moment before he nodded, "Ah. I'll get it from him when it's ready and input our room code."

"Annabelle said the phone could get me into stuff?"

The door slid open and Sideswipe walked in. Sunstreaker answered, "Some areas, yes. It doesn't allow access into Wheeljack's lab though or any private rooms."

"But once you have our code you can come in anytime." Sideswipe chirped as Sunstreaker stepped into the room. I heard the door slide shut behind him. The room was huge in comparison to me, but with both tall mechs standing in the room it seemed infinitely smaller. The walls were a soft gray and there were two large slabs of metal pushed against the left wall and the right wall. There was also a shelving unit against the back wall with nothing on or in it. To the right of that unit was an archway in the corner of the room that led somewhere else.

Sideswipe clapped his hands once, "It doesn't look like much now, but just you wait until we get our stuff back in here."

"Where is y'all's stuff?" I asked.

"Subspace." Sunstreaker replied. His hands began to move and I couldn't help but tense. "I got you."

Sunstreaker carefully set me down on one of the metal slab to the right, which I assumed was his berth. Then he pulled my wheelchair out of subspace and set it down beside me. I couldn't help but narrow my eyes at it a bit. I seriously could not wait until I was up and on my own again. This injury was a nightmare in and of itself.

The yellow mech took a step away and I watched as they began to pull things out of their subspace. The entire time I just watched with a smile on my lips. Seeing them again just made me so happy, to the point where a part of me was questioning everything. They hadn't seen me in twenty years, but it had only been a few days since I last saw them.

"Why am I so happy to see you guys?" My question had a light tone and I couldn't stop myself from chuckling midway through. "I mean, I am…I am just _so_ happy."

Sideswipe placed some sort of weird metal rock thing on the shelf then turned with a wide grin, "Because you love us, duh."

I let out another laugh, "Well, yeah, I love all y'all, but this is so…" I tried to find a way to describe the joy that filled every ounce of my person, "I don't know how to describe it."

Sunstreaker glanced my way with a small smirk before continuing his task of organization. His twin on the other hand walked over and sat down on the floor in front of me. If I were standing we'd probably be eye to eye now, but since I was on my ass he still had to glance down to some degree, "It's the bond."

"The bond?" I raised an eyebrow, "I don't understand."

"Back in your universe it was mostly one sided, but once we got here it kind of changed." Sideswipe shrugged, "None of you can communicate over the bond or anything remotely close to that, but you can feel it now...somewhat. You're happy to see us, but it's amplified because every single Cybertronian in the vicinity that you have a bond with is just as happy. More so I would say."

That made…sense? It made as much sense as any magical bond between human and Cybertronians could. I just wondered why no one felt it was pertinent to share this with me. I nodded, "So y'all's emotion effects me?"

"To a degree." Sunstreaker spoke up, but he didn't turn around, "This is a rare case where almost everyone you have a bond with shares the same emotion. On a normal day to day basis, the effect probably won't be as strong."

I stared at Sunstreaker's back a bit longer before shifting my gaze back to Sideswipe. My eyes didn't meet his own though. Rather, his gaze was focused on the brace around my knee. Slowly, he looked back up to me and his smile was gone to be replaced by a look of what might have been guilt.

"It's ok. It doesn't hurt anymore. Plus, the meds Ratchet has me on takes away any aches or soreness that should come with surgery." I said as comfortingly as I could. "Do you guys… Do you know…?"

Sideswipe nodded, "We know what happened. It was in Ratchet's report."

I didn't like the solemn tone the room had adopted. It didn't match the bubble of joy that sat in my chest. With a bright grin in the red mech's direction, I spoke, "So? As my Ratchet appointed babysitter, you're supposed to be entertaining me."

Sideswipe chuckled, "Whatever you want, babe."

* * *

He wasn't entirely sure how twenty earth years could feel so long. Pit, if someone had asked him how much time he thought had passed his answer would've been vorns upon vorns. Sunstreaker knew that he cared very much for the organic femme lying on his holoform, but he hadn't fully understood the depth of that caring until she was suddenly gone. He couldn't believe that at one point he had considered cutting her out of his life to prevent himself pain. What a stupid idea that had been. Granted, it hadn't been as awful as watching her offline on the kitchen floor so long ago. Unlike then, him and Sideswipe could still feel her over the bond faintly. They all could. The distance was just too great for anything to really come over.

He lifted his holoform's servo to lightly brush the light brown hair away from her faceplate. They had all hung out in their room for hours until her medicine started to wear off and she grew drowsy. It wasn't like they had any human sleeping items on hand, so now she rested her helm on Sunstreaker's holoform's thigh. Aj had fallen asleep maybe thirty earth minutes ago.

 _'I just picked up her xScreen from Jackie. I'm gonna find Ratchet.'_ Sideswipe said over the bond and Sunstreaker sent him a halfhearted acknowledgement.

Sunstreaker continued to brush his servo through her soft hair. Hair was never something Sunstreaker was a fan of. It seemed pointless and it got everywhere. However, he couldn't think a single annoyed thought at her hair as it sprawled out in his lap. She looked peaceful as she slept and Sunstreaker would never disturb her well-needed rest, but he missed the blue of her optics already.

How pathetic was that?

 _'Not pathetic.'_ Sideswipe shot back to him, but Sunstreaker ignored him. His lips twitched up slightly as he re-committed every detail of his femme into his processors. Maybe now that she was back he could actually get a painting of her done. Most of them he couldn't even bring himself to finish and the few that he did weren't good enough.

Aj let out a quiet moan as her optics fluttered open. Various shades of light blue that blended in a way that was unique to her. Then again, maybe it wasn't the color itself that made it so unique. Sunstreaker knew he had seen that color before now that he stared at it, but no patch of light blue had the fire that seemed to burn behind her optics. Aj's optics were always filled with life. She could hide whatever emotion she wanted behind a smile and the brick walls she built around her heart, but she couldn't hide a fragging thing in those pretty blue optics. They were a language of their own. A language that Sunstreaker wouldn't mind spending the rest of his existence learning.

It took a moment for Aj to really wake up, but once she was fully conscious she caught his gaze, "Sorry…I didn't mean to fall asleep."

"Don't be." He replied softly. "Did I wake you?"

Sunstreaker pulled his hand back, but she stuck out her lower lip in a pout, "No, keep doing that. It felt nice." Her face scrunched up in annoyance, "Plus, it's distracting."

"Your knee?"

"The pain is starting to come back." She admitted hesitantly. Sunstreaker moved his servo back to her hair and her optics closed again in response.

"Sides is getting Ratchet. He'll bring something to help."

Aj mumbled something in reply, but he didn't catch her words. Sunstreaker watched as she slowly drifted back into recharge. He let out a soft sigh and reveled in the weight in his chassis that seemed to be gone now that she was back. Sideswipe buzzed across the bond in agreement and both of them swore that nothing would ever take her away from them again.


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: Yay another chapter. Let me know what you think. I loved all the feedback I got last time, let's do it again! (:_

* * *

Chapter Five:

Waiting List

* * *

 _"I believe certain people cross your life as guardian angels. Some connections can't be explained off words alone. It's a soul thing, a feeling." –unknown_

* * *

Jazz had so many questions. His processor was spinning with them, in fact. As a trained saboteur that was _damn_ good at his job, with plenty of experience as well, one would think that he'd be able to actually focus on the task at hand. Typically, Jazz was good at that; he was usually very good about pushing aside specific things to think about something else. This was not that case.

There was a bond in his chassis, buzzing with life, and for the life of him he could _not_ push it aside. He could not focus on his mission a single bit. She had come back almost two earth weeks ago and her arrival had nearly gotten him killed. Bumblebee and him had been staking out a drone hive when it happened. The bond flashed to life and suddenly filled with pain. Jazz had nearly fallen from his precarious hiding spot right in front of a wanna-be Ratchet drone.

She was back though.

Aj was back and boy did Jazz have a _pit_ of a lot of questions for her. The radio silence held between them and the base kept him in the dark and left him wondering. How did she get here? What had she been doing for the past twenty Earth years? Was she ok? Was she… Was she still _herself_ or had the time alone changed her? Had Aj slipped back into her old life routine without the mechs or kids around to keep her afloat?

Movement caught Jazz's attention and he watched as Bumblebee quietly repositioned himself for a better view of the hive they've been studying. Jazz shook his helm once and tried to regain his focus.

One more week.

Just one more lousy Earth week and he'd see her again.

* * *

"You can just go _fuck_ yourself."

"Aj, come on now."

"No. Just _no_. I'm done. We're done."

"You can't get rid of me. You know that."

"You know what I know? I know that you're the fragging _devil_ and you can go straight to hell _you pit spawned_ -"

Seth ignored my spew of insults and tapped me once on the thigh, "One more. You can do it. Come on."

I gritted my teeth and bent my right, injured knee to do a slight step up on low stool in front of me. Sweat dripped from my hairline, my muscles screamed in exhaustion, and my entire body shook as I forced myself to straighten my right leg all the way on the stool. I held it for a second before stepping back down and shifting my weight back to my left leg.

"See! I told you. I knew you could do it." Seth grinned and offered me his arm.

I hooked my arm through his and let him lead me over to the bench where I could sit, "You're the devil."

Seth chuckled and handed me a clean towel to wipe away my sweat. This was my fifth day of physical therapy with Seth Bradford and unsurprisingly I still hated it. I know I shouldn't. Not only was it helping me regain function in my right leg, but it also allowed me to get up and actually move myself rather than being carted around by anyone who wasn't too busy. Still though, I wasn't a fan.

After wiping away all the excess sweat, I tossed the towel aside and looked over at Seth. He was in his Army combat uniform, but his sleeves were rolled up as he typed something out at his computer off to the side. His light blond hair was still messy from when he was wearing his hat earlier. Seth was an Army physical therapist that worked directly on base in the medical wing. The physical therapy room wasn't overly large, but it was well supplied with weights and stools and all sorts of various other torture devices.

"Where's my favorite cripple?"

My attention snapped away from Seth to see Tyler standing at the doorway with a shit-eating grin on his face. He was in civilian clothes, but during my time here I realized Tyler almost always wore the same thing. A plain t-shirt, sometimes colored, sometimes white, and usually v-neck with jeans or khakis. If he was feeling really adventurous he'd throw a leather jacket over it all.

"You know, I think you're just a little _too_ snarky." I bit back at him with a narrowed glare.

Tyler waltzed over and pulled one hand out from behind his back to reveal a pint of ice cream and spoon, "I blame my aunt. She was incredibly sarcastic during an important period of my development."

"Just hand me the ice cream." I replied and reached for the chocolate chip goodness. It had kind of become a tradition. Whichever poor soul that picked me up from physical therapy also brought me ice cream. Sideswipe started it.

Tyler handed me the ice cream and I didn't hesitate to dig in. Ice cream made everything better. He cleared his throat and crossed his arms with a smirk, "What do you say to Seth?"

I frowned and turned back to look at the physical therapist with a cheek full of ice cream, "Sorry for being a bitch. I don't want you to go to hell. You're actually a really cool guy."

Seth chuckled and walked over with my brace, "I know. Your colorful vocabulary doesn't really surprise me anymore."

I continued to eat as Seth latched my brace onto my leg. It was officially two weeks since my surgery. That meant not only was I in physical therapy, but I was also allowed to get around with crutches rather than a wheelchair. The new brace Wheeljack was making for me was supposed to be done any day now too so I had that to look forward to.

"Hurry up and eat your ice cream so we can go." Tyler said and lightly shook my shoulder as I tried to shove another bite of ice cream into my mouth.

I glared up at him, "Lemme eat my ice cream in peace. What's your rush?"

"I just want to hang out with my _lovely_ aunt, is that such a crime?" He replied without missing a beat. I rolled my eyes at him and focused once again on the dessert in hand. It wasn't like I had any plans for the rest of today. This weekend was supposed to be the weekend that Peter brought his wife and child on base for me to meet. I had basically been holding my breath for the moment. However, Peter's wife's uncle was in the hospital and apparently they had been close, so Delilah and little Amy had driven out to Texas to visit him. The damn uncle just _had_ to go and have a heart attack. What a jerk.

Tyler groaned, "God, you eat so slow."

I scooped the last of the ice cream onto my spoon, shoved it into my mouth, capped the empty tub, and then threw it and the spoon at him. He laughed but picked up the items to throw them away.

"Hey I have a question about Prowl." I said while slowly standing up. Seth, who had moved on to other things, came back and handed me my crutches. I quickly thanked him and readjusted them under my arms, "I mean, how is he allowed to just go on a road trip with Delilah and Amy?"

Tyler didn't reply. He turned back around from the trash to look at me with a casual look. I narrowed my eyes at him and my gaze drifted to his ears to notice they were rather bare.

"Where the _hell_ are your hearing aids?"

Tyler shrugged, "Dunno. Couldn't find them this morning. Jackie's working on a new pair though so I'll be fine."

My nephew was amazing at reading lips and that worked in his favor, but it still made me uncomfortable to know he was walking around a military base without one of his senses. I pulled my hands away from the crutches to sign the word ' _stupid'_ at him. Tyler just grinned at me in response.

"Doesn't Prowl have work at the base?" I went back to my initial question, "How was he allowed to leave with Delilah?"

Tyler nodded and held the door open as I slowly passed through with one final goodbye to Seth thrown over my shoulder.

"Of course he has work. Prowl's one of the busiest mechs on base." Tyler replied as the two of us walked down the hallway. "But he can do a lot over datapads. Plus, ever since Sarah Lennox died the mechs don't like us driving on our own."

It made sense. Sort of. Sarah Lennox had died in a routine car accident. Something that never would happen with any Cybertronian. Not only would they be able to avoid wrecks, but also they were made of sturdier stuff.

"And they're heading to Texas which isn't bad in itself, but there's a hive around there. Pete didn't even have to ask for Prowl to tag along, the mech offered." Tyler continued. "Not that that's surprising. Pete jokes that Prowl loves Amy more than him, which probably isn't very wrong. Prowl loves that little girl and Amy _adores_ him."

It took longer to get to the main hanger because of my slow pace, but we eventually made it to the side of the base where Cybertronians could travel. It was easy to tell when you got to that area just because the hallways became large enough for cars to drive down.

We greeted anyone who passed us and I realized it still felt strange to have some refer to me by name. Most everyone on base was vaguely aware of my presence. I hadn't exactly made any new friends among the humans that lived here, but I was now recognizable to most. It was made easier by the fact that I was the only cripple on base being doted on by some big ass Cybertronians.

As we entered one of the many hangers my eyes were drawn to Smokescreen who was standing at full height talking to someone on the above railings. When he noticed our entrance he quickly said goodbye and turned to us.

"Well lookie what the cybercat dragged in." He grinned impishly.

"Tyler isn't wearing his hearing aids." I called back up to him as Tyler tapped his ears. As good as Tyler was at reading lips, he still couldn't read the Cybertronians' lips. Part of it was because of the distance from the ground to their face, but according to Tyler they moved their mouths weirdly. It was hard for him to differentiate between words. I never noticed it, most people didn't, but then again most of us weren't trying to _read_ their words.

"Oh." Smokescreen said and quickly knelt down in front of us. Most of the Cybertronians on base knew at least some ASL which I thought was incredible. It was harder for some of them to learn than others just because they didn't have a program to just translate it for them. They had to actually learn it. Plus, some had hands and fingers that just didn't make the shapes they needed to. He used his hands to sign, ' _Where are your aids?'_

Tyler shrugged, "Good question. I got no idea."

I turned my head to stare at Tyler as I spoke so I knew Tyler would be able to understand what I said, "The _idiot_ lost them."

"That's hurtful." Tyler replied and turned to Smokescreen. He used Smokescreen's sign name, which was basically the word ' _smokes'_. Tyler just tapped his lips with his pointer finger and middle finger in the shape of a 'V'. Which I thought was a not very creative sign name, but Tyler had been a kid when he picked these. Tyler continued with ASL, _'My aunt is bullying me. Where's my guardian when I need him?'_

I caught his attention with my hand and when his eyes were on me I spoke, "We all know Bluestreak wouldn't do a damn thing to me."

Smokescreen nodded and signed, _'That's accurate.'_

"Both of you are jerks." Tyler crossed his arms, but there was a grin hanging from his features. The sound of buzzing filled the air and I watched as Tyler reached into his back pocket and pulled out his phone. It reminded me that I had left my phone in the med bay where I was currently living. Ratchet said they were setting up an apartment for me on base, but I was pretty positive he just didn't want me to stray to far from his watchful eyes. "Hey can we hang out later? I gotta go do something."

"Do what?" I pressed in curiosity.

Tyler smirked, "My girlfriend."

I blanched at his innuendo and resisted the urge to whack him with my crutch as Smokescreen chuckled in amusement. It was moments like this that I couldn't believe this was the same Tyler who inhaled his chicken nuggets and fought me tooth and nail over bath time.

"Get out of here. Tell Riley I said hi." I had met his girlfriend once a few days ago, but apparently this girlfriend was a brand new thing. They had started dating last weekend and based on the way Taylor rolled her eyes when he announced it, she didn't expect the whole Riley/Tyler thing to last very long. Riley seemed like a sweet girl though. She worked in communications here.

Tyler quickly signed something to Smokescreen, but since I hadn't been paying close attention I missed most of it. Smokescreen nodded and transformed down into his alt mode as Tyler jogged away with one last grin in my direction. Smokescreen's holoform appeared wearing his military uniform with the sleeves rolled up. He held the passenger door open for me with a smirk, "After you, milady."

"Aren't you just a regular gentlemech, Smokes." I chuckled and limped over. Smokescreen took the crutches from me and closed the door. I kept my knee stretched out, and my hands folded in my lap. Honest to God, it was still weird as hell to sit inside one of them. Maybe it was because for a while I only knew them in their bipedal modes. Back in our universe there was no getting a ride from one of them. Now it felt more than strange to catch a ride. It was even weirder sitting in Sideswipe or Sunstreaker. Just the sentence of that thought was weird. I was _sitting_ inside them. What the _fuck_?

"You alright there, Aj?" Smokescreen asked as he drove ahead. I nodded knowing he'd somehow see the movement. Somehow. Did I mention this was weird?

"Peachy." I smiled, "Where are we heading?"

"Oh, I was gonna take you to the break room. Ours." He replied and headed toward the elevator. "Flare-Up, Sides, and Blaster are down there. I gotta head back to work, but I don't think any of them would complain about your presence."

I nodded again and just sat patiently in my seat as Smokescreen began to tell the story of how his morning has been going. Not that I didn't like talking to Smokescreen, in fact I loved it, but this time I couldn't help my mind from wandering away. The incredulous amount of joy I had felt most of last week slowly died down until I was at a normal level of happy. I was happy. Despite the whole ' _broken knee'_ hiccup, this was a best-case scenario for me. I was with my family, my mechs, and I was meeting more people that I truly enjoyed being around. Annabelle was a super cool teen. She was bubbly, energetic, and could talk for hours on end about anything. Luke was a riot to be around and the kid amused me to no end. Lennox seemed like a really nice dude, too. Granted, the only times I ever talked to him was while he was working and so our relationship still seemed almost professional rather than him being my brother-in-law.

Damn, that was still a weird thought. Will Lennox was my brother-in-law.

Regardless, my point was, that for the first time in a long time I wasn't just befriending a group of aliens, but I was also befriending actual functioning human beings. I even met Epps and we got along for the whole ten minutes I talked to him. If Ratchet and Lennox and Optimus and all of them actually let me socialize outside of the medbay without a chaperone I might make more friends. Go figure.

Still, I couldn't help but miss a good number of others.

I missed Granny and Josh, no doubt, but I knew they were sitting happy back in our old universe. I missed Grimlock. Luckily, they had pulled him up on a video chat of sorts in one of the hangers so I could talk to him. It felt good to see the dinobot again. The conversation consisted mostly of him demanding I come to him so the other dinobots could meet their human 'pet' and me begging him to stop throwing temper tantrums around the base he was at.

I missed Bumblebee. I couldn't wait to see the black and yellow scout. Taylor said he had actually changed alt modes in this universe so he'd be a Camaro. In order for him to get the alt mode he wanted exactly it required the installation of door wings much to Ratchet's chagrin. Apparently, Bumblebee really liked how much the door wings helped him in the field though so there was that plus.

Lastly, I missed Jazz. I missed him a lot. There were days when I'd think of something and look to share it with my knee-high, visored friend only to realize he wasn't around. Not to mention he wasn't gonna be knee high the next time I saw him.

"Aj?" Smokescreen cut through my line of thought.

I blinked and turned my head to the radio, "Huh?"

"We're here." He replied. I glanced out the window again to see the feet of Flare-Up and Blaster. Sideswipe had knelt down enough that I could see his face staring in my direction with worry on his features. Smokescreen had tinted windows so I knew he couldn't actually see my face. "Are you sure you're ok?"

"I'm fine. I'm sorry, Smokes. I didn't mean to zone out on you." I apologized.

"Hey, no worries. As long as you're ok…."

I watched as Sideswipe transformed and his holoform appeared. It was even easier to see the worry on his holoform's face. Sideswipe ran a hand through the longer dirty blond hair on top his head so it was pushed back and out of his face. He wore a long sleeve navy shirt with the three buttons at his neckline undone and khaki pants. I wondered if it was his day off or if he had to work later.

Smokescreen opened the side door as I reached for the handle and I chuckled in response. Sideswipe had jogged around the side and held his arms out toward me. He pulled me out of the car and before I could adjust myself he scooped me up with ease.

"What's up, babe?" Sideswipe questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Nothing." I replied as my eyes took in all of his face, scar and all, "Where's your brother?"

Sideswipe started to walk towards the large, Cybertronian sized table, "He's working. We have opposite shifts today."

"Aj!" Blaster chirped as we got closer. Flare-Up reached down from the large seat she sat in and offered her hand. Sideswipe set me on her palm and she lifted me to the table. The sound of Sideswipe and Smokescreen transforming filled the room. "What's hanging, little lady?"

I grinned and made myself comfortable on the table, right leg stretched out, "Just looking for someone to hang out with. Smokes is abandoning me."

"Aw, don't be like that. Tyler abandoned you first!" Smokescreen replied. I glanced over my shoulder in time to see him set my crutches down in front of Sideswipe.

Flare-Up scoffed with a smirk, "Sure, blame the mech who isn't here to defend himself."

"I take the opportunities as I see them." Smokescreen shot back, "Later guys, I got work to do."

Blaster laughed, "Don't you mean work to _put off_?"

Smokescreen made the very human gesture of flipping them all off with a smirk before walking out of the room. I glanced over at Sideswipe who was seated at the table again, but still looking at me in concern. I shot him a smile.

"So how was physical therapy today, Aj?" Flare-Up asked.

"Same as always. Awful, but I got ice cream." I shrugged and leaned back on my hands. Blaster lifted a hand, as if pausing the conversation, and I watched as his chest transformed out and Steeljaw leaped out onto the table. After I took my first shower and stopped smelling like blood and death, Steeljaw seemed to like me. He was a lion mech of not many words though. He didn't talk often, but when he did it was either damn near inspirational or a blunt, bored insult. There really was no in between. He walked across the table and laid down behind me so I could lean against his side.

Blaster and Flare-Up restarted whatever conversation they must have been having before I showed up, but now they did so in English so I could follow along. However, my mind started to drift again as my fingers absentmindedly played with the metal twists of Steeljaw's mane.

I missed Bear. Maybe that's what had me feeling so off tilter. My pup was around, but he like had a legit job now. He mostly did missions with Tyler, but this week some other platoon had taken him out on a routine mission. I was very unhappy with the whole thing, but I couldn't stop it. My Bear had a job to do. That was better than my unemployed, broken ass.

It could also be the fact that I hadn't seen the outside world in two weeks. I kind of missed the sky. The only windows were in Ratchet's upper level medbay and the physical therapy room. My part of the room was too far to really see out Ratchet's window and Seth had me too busy to window gaze.

Flare-Up laughed and my focus snapped back to where it probably should be. She shook her head once, "Humans are so entertaining."

"What can I say, we try." I joked in return. She glanced at me in brief confusion before her eyes brightened like she just remembered something.

She smiled, "That you do. I just don't understand why some humans can be so careless out in the field."

"Says the femme who nearly blows herself to the pit every other battle." Sideswipe cut in, "You're the only Autobot that can compete with Wheeljack's number of explosions."

Flare-Up smirked, "I'm a demolitions expert. It's my job to blow things to pit."

"Including yourself?" Blaster chuckled.

Flare-Up replied sharply in cybertronian and Blaster laughed even louder. The femme was always so fired up and excited. Talking to her could always lighten my mood.

I stayed sitting at the table for maybe an hour talking with them before I started to get hungry. This morning, despite Ratchet's orders, I had skipped breakfast. The moment I started to sit up Sideswipe's eyes snapped to me.

"What are you doing?"

"Getting up." I replied and Steeljaw stood with me so I could use his back as a handrail of sorts. "I'm starving."

Sideswipe scooped up my crutches, dropping them in his subspace, and held his hand out, "I'll take you."

"You sure?" I questioned and Sideswipe rolled his eyes at me. With a chuckle, I sat down on the edge of his hand and scooted back. My eyes shot over to Blaster and Flare-Up, "Bye guys. I'll see you later?"

"Course." Blaster replied with a wave.

"Text me when you're done eating and we can hang out more. I'm done working for the day and I'm sick of these bolt headed mechs." Flare-Up grinned at me.

Blaster shook his head with mock hurt, "Femme, I thought you loved me?"

"Bye, Steeljaw. Thanks for being my pillow." I said as Sideswipe slowly started to lift me up while standing himself. Steeljaw nodded in reply before walking back over to Blaster who was talking in Cybertronian to Flare-Up.

Sideswipe held the hand I was in next to his chest and kept his other hand hovering close. I smiled up at the red mech, "You know I'm not gonna spontaneously fling myself off your hand."

"Rather safe than sorry." Sideswipe replied with a smile of his own, "I'm not about to take any risks with you."

"And here I thought you lived to take risks."

Sideswipe chuckled at my comment and continued down the hall. The walk to the main hanger was taking a bit longer than normal and Sideswipe took a few turns I wasn't entirely certain of. Admittedly, I wasn't very good at navigating the base yet. For all I knew this could be a shortcut.

The mech took another right turn and I suddenly became aware that this was not a shortcut.

"Why are you taking me to the medbay?" I pressed with furrowed brow.

"Huh?" Sideswipe replied like he didn't understand my question.

I narrowed my eyes at him as we walked through the door. Ratchet was sitting at his desk in the back working.

"Sideswipe." I pressed again as he set me down on one of the raised up berths. Even if I wasn't a cripple right now, I wouldn't be able to run from this place. Ratchet had risen from his desk and was on his way over. As the medic got closer I looked over at him, "What is going on?"

"Sideswipe said you were acting strange and distracted." Ratchet replied and I could feel him scanning me. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at them. "How do you feel?"

I glared at Sideswipe who shrugged, "Come on, babe. I just wanna make sure you're a-ok."

"Snitches get stitches, you know." I retorted.

Sideswipe chuckled. Ratchet turned to him and said something quickly in their own language. The red mech nodded once, replied, and then looked back to me, "I'm gonna head out. I'll come back soon though and we can get food."

I very maturely stuck my tongue out him and crossed my arms. Sideswipe laughed and blew me a kiss before leaving out the door he came in. Ratchet mumbled to himself as he scanned me again and went over the newly gained information on the datapad in his hands.

"Did you do anything different today?"

"I cartwheeled from Physical Therapy to the hanger."

"Go anywhere new?"

"Thailand."

"Do you feel any pain?"

"Emotional or physical?"

Ratchet glared at me and I gave him a cheesy grin in response. He huffed in annoyance, "Perhaps its just your body readjusting to the lack of medicine. I'd give you a little bit more, but I don't want to back track the progress we've already made."

He continued on the same line of thought, but my mind drifted away again. He could be right. Wasn't Ratchet always right? Maybe I just needed time to get used to the lack of miracle medicine pumping through my system. He had taken me off a few days ago because it was starting to disrupt my sleeping cycle, which was a common side effect. That meant I had to go back to ignoring the dull ache surrounding my knee. Luckily, the injury hadn't damaged my ability to ignore problems both emotional _and_ physical.

Honestly speaking, the best thing for me right now would probably be to go out for a drive. Just a little alone time tearing up some desert roads. It'd be a great way to clear my mind considering I couldn't go distract myself with a punching bag at the moment. It'd be damn near impossible to convince Ratchet and the others of that though. They'd either never let me out or refuse for me to go alone which kind of defeats the entire purpose. I didn't even have my driver's license with-

"I miss _him_." I mumbled in sudden realization. It was the oddest reminder, but my train of thought had crashed right into memories of Thundercracker and I going for drives. I hadn't thought of the mech since I came. How had he slipped my mind so easily? I didn't even know what condition he was in after the fight with that drone.

The room grew quiet meaning Ratchet was done rambling about my health for the moment. I looked at him and he spoke, "Jazz?"

"Well…yeah, but that's not who I was…" I shook my head, "I miss TC." Ratchet looked taken aback for a minute and his mouth fell open to speak, but I didn't give him the chance. "I miss TC and I miss Skywarp. I miss Soundwave and I even miss _Starscream_ …I-I kind of miss Megatron, Ratchet."

There was silence between us as Ratchet vented out a very human like sigh. He stepped away to grab a chair against the wall and brought it over for him to sit. Now his face level was only a little above mine.

"I don't really miss Barricade. He was an asshole." I sighed.

"I know this is hard for you, but the decepticons-"

"Are bonded to me." I interrupted him, "Just like you guys. How can…How does that work? Y'all would _never_ hurt us. Could they-"

Ratchet shook his head, "We thought for a while that the peace would continue. The 'cons laid low for a while, but then they came back full force. You didn't change them. I don't think anything could."

"Megatron was getting _better_. He was… _good_. He was good back in our world." I argued. "Or…Or he was getting there, at least."

"I'm sorry, Aj." Ratchet replied, "I know you had grown close to Thundercracker. I think it'd be best though if you let this drop. Don't bring it up."

I let my hand trace the edge of my knee brace, "But maybe…couldn't we _do_ something? The kids and I could _talk_ to them. If we convinced them of peace once-?"

"Do _not_ talk to the younglings about this." Ratchet said firmly. "Tyler, Taylor, or Peter."

"Ratchet-"

"The trine _killed_ Wes, Aj." Ratchet blurted and I could feel my stomach drop. What? I had known it was a decepticon attack. I had known that, but in my mind it was some nameless decepticon asshole. Someone we didn't know. Someone who didn't know us. That was the only thing that made sense because _our_ 'cons wouldn't ever- _couldn't_ ever…

I blinked once and let out a breath of air I hadn't even realized I was holding, "W-What?"

"We don't know which of them." Ratchet shook his head, "It happened too quickly, but we know one of them shot the missile into the hanger he was taking shelter in. The entire building came down." Ratchet reached out his hand and let it rest beside me, "I'm sorry."

I shook my head. Before my mind could fully wrap around those words, before I started picturing the battle, I cleared my throat and spoke, "I won't bring it up again."

"Aj-"

"Don't worry, Ratch." I gave him a firm smile that I knew didn't reach my eyes, "Consider it officially dropped."

Ratchet hummed once in thought before nodding, "I contacted Sideswipe to come get you. You need lunch."

"Thanks." I leaned against his hand lazily.

He nodded and shifted in his seat in a way that made him look almost nervous. Before I could question the change of atmosphere he spoke, "There is something I've been meaning to discuss with you. You are aware that officially Prowl has been assigned as Peter and his family's guardian just like Bumblebee is guardian for Taylor and Bluestreak for Tyler?"

"Yeah. Why?"

Ratchet stood and moved the chair away. He fidgeted with a tray of tools by the bed, a nervous tick of his I had noticed, as he continued, "Optimus is looking to file away the information into the corresponding datapad for _your_ official guardian. Despite what your government thinks, the guardian-ward decision is larger than just pairing a human with a Cybertronian and we take your opinion into the decision as well." He cleared his throat, "Now, the list of those who would be willing to be assigned as your guardian is quite long. The twins obviously signed up for the job, and if Jazz were able we all know he would. Wheeljack signed up, and even Flare-Up did. Grimlock as well, but we don't think that'd be a very good idea."

"Ok, so what are you getting at Ratchet?" I pressed.

"Prowl and Optimus offered the first spot on the 'waiting' list of sorts to _me_. For me to be your guardian and you my ward. Now if you're ok with that…" Ratchet's voice trailed off as he looked at me expectantly. My eyebrows furrowed briefly in confusion as I took in all his words. Ratchet let out a coughing sound and shook his head, "Of course, if you refuse that would be _perfectly_ fine. It is _vastly_ important for a guardian and ward to be-"

"Ratchet, Ratchet." I made him stop talking, "Of course I'm not saying no. I just…" I shrugged and Ratchet stared at me curiously, "I sort of thought you already _were_ my guardian and I was already your ward."

There was a pause of silence before a small smile grew on Ratchet's face. He chuckled and nodded once, "I will let Optimus know."

Ratchet turned and continued working on the tools. No matter how much I missed certain people in my life, I knew that I still had so many in my life that would have my back no matter what. These were people I could count on with anything. People I'd do anything to protect and who would do the same for me. I think a part of me, since the very beginning, always knew that Ratchet was one of those people.

"Does this mean I can call you ' _Dad'_ now?"

"Get out."

* * *

The guy who said ' _practice makes perfect'_ was an asshole and a liar. If that saying had been even remotely true then by now I would've been at least half decent at working these damn crutches. Yet, here I was still nearly tripping over them.

"Are you sure I'm allowed to be meeting them?" I asked loudly while trailing behind Annabelle who was leading the way. Being that it was Saturday, she was on base and twenty minutes ago she stole me away from Aubrey under the pretense of ' _Auntie-Niece bonding tim_ e'. However, now I was being ushered away to meet the infamous Lex and Eli I had heard so much about. The crutch under my left arm wobbled again and I cursed under my breath.

"Yeah, totally." Annabelle glanced back with a smile. The smile faltered for a second and she nodded, "But maybe you wanna walk a little faster?"

"Trust me, I'm trying." I replied.

The hallways she was leading me down were mostly clear. There were a few soldiers here and there that we passed, but they paid us no mind. My eyes darted around and I wondered if this was a new area I was in or if I was just mixing up the various hallways I had traveled down. They all looked alike. Concrete walls, fluorescent lighting, and no interior décor.

Annabelle jogged ahead, her blonde braid bouncing against her back, and opened the double doors for me. I worked my way through and realized this was in fact a new area. The large room I was now in was a mechanic bay of sorts. The far left wall consisted of large open garage doors. There were various military grade jeeps and trucks in various conditions with men and women walking around in gray jumpsuits or standard mechanic shirts. The room was loud, hot, and filled with sparking metal and dangerous tools.

"Ratchet is going to murder me for being here." I mumbled.

"Come on, they should be this way." Annabelle pointed to the right and I started to follow her again, sticking close to the wall.

I glanced around best I could while still keeping an eye where I put my left foot and the ends of my crutches. With my luck I'd fall in here and impale myself on a wrench.

"Do you and your friends hang out in a working mechanic bay often?" I questioned skeptically. Neither of us were dressed to be in a room like this. I wore black gym shorts and a plain, baggy shirt with my hair hanging down around my face. Annabelle wore distressed, light jean shorts and a dark green tank top with sandals of all things. We were literally the walking poster of ' _Do not look like this in here'._

"We have to cut through here to get to where we usually hang out. Lex's mom works in here. You haven't met her yet have you?" She asked but left me no time to answer, "It won't be that big of a deal if she sees us, but we still need to avoid her because she might tell Lennox or-"

Annabelle came to a screeching stop and I nearly toppled over with my crutches. It took me a second to readjust myself in a comfortable, stable stance. I looked over Annabelle's shoulder to see a man standing in front of us. He looked just as out of place in his black suit and light blue shirt with matching tie. His curly hair was short and close to his head, but he had a rather thick, neat beard starting from his sideburns. The guy looked to be around mid-thirties and he had light skin and hazel eyes and looked oh-so familiar. Did I meet him before?"

"Sam!" Annabelle cried in surprise. She quickly readjusted her tense stance and let out a light laugh, "What are you doing here?"

"I was visiting Mikaela." He replied and his eyes glanced over at me. They widened slightly and I finally recognized him. Sam, as in Sam Witwicky, was from the movies. He looked like…like…like that actor, guy. Damn, what was his name? Aubrey had been right in the sense that the longer I stayed here the more the trivial stuff started to slip away. "What are you doing in here?"

Annabelle shrugged, "Just giving Aj a tour."

"A Ratchet approved one?" Sam asked with a slight smile. Annabelle let out a nervous light chuckle and I smirked in amusement. Sam stepped to the side and offered me hand as Annabelle stepped to the side and turned to face us both, "Hi, I don't think we've officially met. My name is Sam Witwicky, I'm the Autobot assigned liaison."

I shook his hand, with much struggle, and nodded, "It's nice to meet you, Mr. Witwicky. I'm Aj. Aubrey's younger sister."

"You can just call me Sam." He smiled, "I've heard a lot about you."

"Yeah, apparently I'm a hot topic around here."

Annabelle cut in, "Sam, do you know if Lex and Eli are in the break room?"

Sam glanced at her, "Lex is still, but Eli left. His mom needed him so I guess he's in the apartment area?"

"Great. Thanks Sam!" Annabelle chirped before motioning for me to follow after her. Her quick pace left me no choice in the matter so I gave the familiar looking Sam Witwicky a big smile, questioned my sanity for a brief moment again, and then went back to struggling with my crutches.

Luckily for me, the break room Annabelle was talking about wasn't much further. She led me to the back of the room where an elevator sat. As we got in she pressed down the down button.

"There's no up button." I said aloud.

She nodded, "Yeah, ground level is the only upper floor. Then we have one floor below it at basement level. That's where a lot of break rooms are. They double as bunkers in case of an emergency."

"Convenient." I mumbled. It was little moments like that that reminded me that I was on an actual, functioning military base.

The doors opened into a bleak hallway that Annabelle turned right at. She opened a bright red door at the end of the small hallway and I limped my way in. The room was rather small with just a few circular tables spread apart with matching plastic chairs and a long couch pushed against the left wall. There was a kitchen area complete with counters, sink, and even a microwave and fridge.

My eyes went back to the couch where a young girl sat criss cross in the middle. Her attention fell to me as well and her dark grayish eyes widened a bit in surprise. This girl looked nothing like Sam Witwicky, but the train of thought that followed her genes went array as I remembered Annabelle had explained this earlier to me. She had been adopted as a young kid.

She had light brown skin and dark hair that fell a little past her shoulders. I could see a streak of blue peeking out from the underside of her hair. She had on light jeans that had scuff marks and black oil stains in the shapes of finger smears. As if she had rubbed her hand across her thigh absentmindedly. Her shirt, which was a light blue work shirt I had seen some others in the mechanic bay wearing, was in similar shape.

"Hey, AB." She said though her eyes didn't leave from my features, "This is…"

"This is my aunt." Annabelle introduced and I had to keep myself from smiling like a total idiot at the title. It was one thing for me to mentally consider myself family, but another for her to announce it. "Her name is Aj. Aj this is Lex."

Lex remained skeptical, "Her name is Aj?"

"It stands for Aimee Jane." I spoke up then pressed my lips together nervously. Maybe it was pathetic of me, but I really wanted this 15, maybe 16, year old girl to like me. She was important to Annabelle after all. "It's nice to finally meet you, Lex. I've heard a lot."

Lex finally tore her eyes away from me to stare at Annabelle questioningly. Was there something on my face? Annabelle cleared her throat and pulled out a chair for me to sit down in. I didn't hesitate to drop down into the seat.

"Lex gets a bit lightheaded when she stays in the shop too long. Give her a minute to get on the same page as us."

"Uh, sure thing?" I replied with a shrug.

Lex shook her head, "Sorry, it is nice to meet you. AB… told me about you she just forgot to mention something."

I pretended to ignore the pointed look Lex shot towards my niece, "What'd she forget?"

"Just how young you are." Annabelle smiled, "I didn't think it was that big of a deal though."

"Kind of is." Lex argued.

I clapped my hand once with a sheepish grin, "Well, now that we're past that whole thing…" The air was still tense and I tried to think of something to move the conversation along, "So do you work here? I know you go to school in Vegas."

"My mom is one of the head mechanics here. She lets me help sometimes." Lex answered warily. She seemed to get more comfortable as the sentence continued though, "It's not as fun as when I get to help out Taylor, but I like it."

I grinned as we entered familiar territory, "Oh, I should've known that you and Taylor knew each other. Uh, Smokes is your guardian, right?"

Lex's face broke out in a small smile as she chuckled, " _Smokes_? So _you're_ the one calling him that?"

"Is that wrong?" I asked curiously. Smokescreen seemed like he was ok with the nickname.

Lex shook her head, "Nah, I've just always called him Smokey and about a week ago he said I should start calling him ' _Smokes'_ because it makes him sound more mature and sophisticated."

"Really?" I let out a laugh, "I guess that doesn't really surprise me. I just started calling him that because of his sign name. The one Tyler gave him. It's literally the sign for ' _smokes'_."

"That makes sense." Lex replied, "Tyler taught me a few signs. He's showed all of us a few things actually. Eli's the only who really picked it up, but he has trouble keeping up in actual, fast conversations. Do you sign?"

I nodded, "Yeah, I learned in college. It was the only foreign language class I was remotely interested in."

Annabelle bounced in place, "I knew you two would get along perfectly."

"We've said like two sentences to each other." Lex raised an eyebrow at the girl.

Annabelle scoffed, "Please, you know I have a sense about these things."

The conversation continued and it remained light for the most part. Annabelle was the lead conversation holder, but as time passed Lex obviously grew more comfortable with having me around. I still wondered what exactly had the girl so wary to begin with, but I figured that would be a question for another day. Regardless of what it was, we were getting along fine now.

It was really neat to see Annabelle and Lex interact only because it was blatantly obvious that the two of them were very close. I wondered how'd it be if the other kid was here too, Eli.

About thirty minutes after we had first come in, the break room door opened again. Familiarity washed over me again as my eyes landed on the lightly tanned woman standing in the doorway. She had a gray jumpsuit on, but the upper half was off with the sleeves tied around her waist so you could see the white tank top she wore under it. Her dark hair was tied up into a messy bun and a pair of goggles hung around her neck. She was really pretty with light freckles across the bridge of her nose and cheekbones. Even with the smudges of grease on the edge of her oval shaped face. Her blues eyes were filled with warmth and amusement despite the exhaustion in her stance.

"Hey mom." Lex greeted.

"Oh, hi Mikaela!" Annabelle added.

Mikaela smiled and her eyes darted toward me, "I was coming to ask why a pissed off medic was on his way over, but I think I can take a pretty good guess now."

I nodded, "Yupp, that's probably for me."

"I'm Mikaela Witwicky." She crossed the room and offered a hand for me to shake. "Aj, right?"

"That's me. It's nice to meet you. I met your husband on our way in." I replied.

She nodded, "Good! That means you know the entire Witwicky family here on base now." Mikaela glanced over at Lex, "Lex, honey, do you think you can help the guys out on the jeeps?"

"Sure, mom." Lex stood up and looked over at me, "Nice to meet you, Aj."

"You too." I replied and waved to them both. Mikaela gave me one last smile as Lex quickly tied her hair up into a matching messy bun. They may not have looked anything alike by physical traits, but they were very similar in the way they moved and held themselves.

Both left and the red door closed behind them. I looked over to Annabelle, "You think we can get out of here before Ratchet shows up?"

The sound of a holoform filled the air and suddenly Ratchet was standing by the fridge with a frown on his features and his arms crossed tightly. Annabelle clicked her tongue once, "I don't think so, no."

* * *

Lex walked beside her mother who didn't say a word about the obvious _thing_ that needed to be discussed. She kept her staring at her, hoping she'd turn and offer an explanation of some kind. No luck.

"Alright." Her mom said as the elevator doors opened, "John and Henry need an extra pair of hands on the jeep with the-"

"Mom, what the _heck_?" Lex blurted. Since playing the sly and patient game wasn't working, she'd have to go for the direct approach, "I mean… _what the heck_?"

Her mom sighed and rubbed the back of her neck. She glanced around briefly before stepping off to the side, pulling Lex with her, "You need to keep this to yourself, Lex."

"Mom, that was _Dr. Stick-In-The-Mud_." Lex replied in a hushed tone. Not that a hushed tone was really needed in a garage as loud as the one they were in. "Except it _wasn't_! She was funny and nice and- and _not_ evil. Plus, she was probably only like 23 or 24!"

Her mom sighed, "26 actually." Lex motioned with her hands that her point was correct. "She's Aubrey's _real_ sister, Lex. The one from her own universe."

Lex blinked once in surprise. Not many people knew about the whole different universes thing, and technically speaking she only knew by default. Because her family was so involved with the Cybertronians and so involved with Aubrey, Tyler, Taylor, and Peter, she got to know the big secret. She was one of few.

"She's the one who came through the portal that day." Lex mumbled in realization. The clues had all been there. Annabelle's secrecy, the news of the portal opening, Aubrey's giddiness. It just took a while for Lex to connect it all in her mind.

"If anyone asks she's Dr. Bradshaw's daughter."

"Dr. Bradshaw didn't have any kids and she was _far_ from motherly." Lex argued.

"I know that and so do you, but most people don't. Dr. Bradshaw was distant and…"

"Cold? Unfriendly? _Mean_?"

Her mom gave her a pointed look, "She was _private_. She didn't share information about her life with others so Lennox thinks we can get away with this."

"Does Aj know the cover story? That's she's her _own_ mother?" Lex asked.

Her mom shook her head, "No. There's a reason why Ratchet and the others are trying to keep her restricted to the medbay or separated from the bulk of the base. She's only been interacting with people who know the truth."

"That's insane, mom." Lex said softly. She crossed her arms, "Dr. Bradshaw is dead but now-"

"I know, I know." She tried to reassure her distressed daughter. "It'll work out though. I know it will."

The tone in her mother's voice and the look in her eyes told Lex that she wasn't entirely sure of all this either. Lex nodded once and turned to head toward the jeep that needed her help. She wasn't a fan of Dr. Bradshaw, hell no one really was, but this Aj person seemed different. Technically they were the same though, right? Still, Lex had kind of enjoyed the relaxed, funny conversation they shared and Annabelle seemed to really like her. Even if Lex still wasn't sure about Aj overall, she knew how much she cared for Annabelle, Aubrey, Tyler, Taylor, and Peter. If going along with this train wreck of a plan helped them then Lex was all for it.

* * *

Taylor's job was kind of a weird thing. For the most part, she had a regular schedule. Ratchet would send appointments to her datapad and she would know to be in his medbay an hour early to prep for whatever needed work. Most appointments didn't get put on Sundays, let alone Sunday evenings, but emergencies happened. Sometimes they came from battle and sometimes they came from mistakes.

Stupid mistakes.

Some here on base would argue that king of these stupid mistakes was none other than their resident chief engineer. As much as Taylor loved Wheeljack, she was inclined to agree based on the mountains of evidence she's seen. As she stepped into the ground level medbay she could hear the arguments already.

"You've managed to mangle your entire servo! The joints are _shredded_ with shrapnel, what the _frag_ were you even doing?!"

"Ratchet, I'm sorry- _Stop hitting me_!" Wheeljack cried as Ratchet tried to reach around Wheeljack's good arm to whack him across the head. Taylor chuckled to herself at the familiar sight and her eyes glanced over to see Aj sitting on a berth to the right with her leg stretched out. "It was a simple crossed wire, I got overly excited!"

Aj chirped up, "My only concern is that you blew yourself up while working on _my_ knee brace." She laced her fingers together, "Be honest with me, should I be worried about spontaneously catching fire?"

"Yes." Ratchet snapped while Wheeljack shook his head and said, "No."

The two glanced at each other, Wheeljack with a skeptical stare and Ratchet with a hardened glare. The engineer shrugged and turned back to Aj, "Uh, maybe."

"You know what?" Aj smirked, "I'll take my chances. When do I get to try this on?"

"Hush you." Ratchet replied as Wheeljack began to assure Aj that all the bugs would be worked out in due time. The medic turned to her, "Will you suit up? I need someone to start working on armor repairs while I check to see if his protoform has healed right."

Taylor bobbed her head, "Sure thing."

That's usually how it worked. Her job was to work on the mechanical side of things while Ratchet took care of the more biological stuff. Granted, it could be argued that their biology was mechanical, but it still differed. She knew how to fix their armor. She knew where each wire went, how each part connected to each other, and how it all meshed with their protoform. Hell, Ratchet had even shown her a few protoform fixes, but he still worried her suit wouldn't be enough to protect her from the spilled energon.

Taylor crossed the room to a cabinet that stored her working suit. Wheeljack had made it for her after Ratchet had designed it. She turned around so her back was to the open cabinet and took a step into the metal boots. After they clicked and sealed, the rest of the suit started to fold around her. It was Cybertronian metal, just because it was the only material that could withstand energon, and slim fitting so she could get into hard to reach places if needed. It covered every inch of her skin and had a helmet as well. The helmet was like a slimmer motorcycle helmet, one that connected with the neck piece, and the glass over her face was an information portal that scanned and showed her data on the current patient.

Taylor activated the suit making the metal grow infinitely lighter. She took a step away from the cabinet and activated the jet pack on her back. It was similar in design to Sideswipe's. It just allowed her to move about the room without Ratchet having to carry her to each spot. It came in handy when they were doing a two man job.

"Whoa!" Aj's voice called out as Taylor landed on the berth behind her. She shifted in her seat with wide eyes, "I want a Power Ranger suit too!"

Taylor laughed, "I am _not_ a Power Ranger."

"Oh, please. Paint the light gray metal to a pretty shade of pink and you 100 percent would be one." Aj argued with a grin.

"What are you doing here anyways? I thought you'd be out hanging with…well, _anyone_."

"Typically, yes, however I have been _grounded_ by the world's angriest, strictest medic." Aj let her gaze drift over to Ratchet with a pout.

Ratchet scoffed and didn't spare her a glance, "You brought this on yourself."

"Did not." Aj mumbled quietly.

Taylor laughed again as Wheeljack took a seat on the berth to their left. He placed his arm on a table that Ratchet brought over. The armor on his hand was black and jagged and had stains of energon here and there, "Well now you get to see me work!"

"I know, I'm excited." Aj replied, "What are you gonna do?"

Taylor turned to Aj as Wheeljack and Ratchet worked on removing his hand from the torn up armor, "I'm just gonna repair the damage on Jackie's servo armor. From here it doesn't look like it'll be too hard of a fix. Just some patch jobs."

This was a routine fix really, but Taylor felt damn near giddy about it. She was excited for Aj to watch her do what she does. A lot of decisions she made stemmed from Aj being her inspiration. It was amazing that her inspiration could now see her work. She just prayed she didn't screw it up today of all days.

"The suit protects you from energon right?" Aj asked with a skeptical, worried gaze.

"Completely." Taylor answered, "It also helps me work. See, I have magnets at all my joints that I can activate to say attach myself to one spot and free up my hands. Oh! I also have tools hidden in the folds of my arm." Taylor reached out and motioned toward her forearms, "And you saw the jetpack of course."

"Taylor." Ratchet called for her.

Taylor gave Aj a wave before flying over to the broken armor.

It was game time now. She had to focus on the task at hand and not on the person sitting on the opposite bench watching her in fascination. It'd be difficult, but Taylor lived for challenges these days.

"So about trying on that knee brace…" Aj's voice spoke up.

"Stop talking, youngling."


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N: Update time! Sorry it's been ages! Let me know what you think!_

* * *

Chapter Six:

Together Again

* * *

 _"Once a deep and powerful connection between two people has been made they become a vital part of each other's lives and there is no separating them. No measure of distance or duration of silence can prevent the outbreak of smiles and laughter or the strong desire to leap into each other's arms when they come together once more." –Beau Taplin_

* * *

"No, I said _no_. You can't do that anymore."

"You human not boss of me, Grimlock. Me Grimlock, boss of you!"

I heaved a sighed, but I couldn't help the smile I could feel creeping onto my features. Currently, I was lying in my med-bay bed with a laptop resting on my stomach. Although, the laptop could hardly be called a laptop. When I thought of the word laptop my mind automatically would go to the sleek, silver MacBooks I used to see all the time. This thing was hardly that. It was a black, metal board, a little longer than a ruler and about half a foot wide, with light blue letters glowing where the keyboard was supposed to be. The corner of the board projected a holographic screen above it that I was able to interact with, supposedly. Technology hated me back in my universe, and that hadn't changed at all. In fact, now it seemed to hate me more.

The holographic screen was showing a video chat with Grimlock who could only be partly seen. It was almost comical seeing his T-Rex alt mode bent over, metal tail in the air, as he tried to get his entire face in view. Granted, all I could actually see was his glowing white eyes and rows of metal teeth. So maybe not so comical and more terrifying.

"You cannot _chew_ on the tanks." I argued, "They're never gonna let you come visit me or vice versa if you _eat_ all their toys."

Grimlock let out a huff of indigence and I chuckled in response. I grinned at him, "So do I get to meet the other dinobots yet?"

"No."

I pouted, "How come I can't talk to them over the video feed, Grimlock."

"Because Grimlock is talking to you." He huffed again, "You human unhappy? Grimlock not enough for you, Aj?"

I rolled my eyes at him, "Don't be silly, Grimlock. You know you'll _always_ be my favorite dinobot."

This seemed to appease the dinobot. We chatted for a few more minutes before Grimlock snarled at someone off to the side and then just walked off. The two of us never really did goodbyes. Our chats usually ended with him just getting tired of staring at the screen.

I sat up and tried to find the exit button on the fake screen to no avail. With determination settling in my body, I searched every square inch of the stupid system looking for an off button.

"Having issues?"

My head snapped up to the doorway to see Annabelle standing there with a teenage boy with dark skin. The laptop slipped from my hands and clattered to the floor. I glanced down at it sheepishly, "Uh, well it's off now."

"It's also broken." Annabelle replied. She walked in, "I sent you a message, but you didn't reply."

I glanced at the teenage kid again before reached over to my nightstand where my phone sat. After already breaking one of those xScreen phones that everyone uses, Wheeljack had put together an old iPhone for me to use. Well, it technically wasn't an actual iPhone since Wheeljack made it himself from scratch, but it looked and worked nearly the same. The only noticeable differences was the quality of the digital screen, the lack of any apps other than call and messages, and instead of an apple on the back Wheeljack had installed a glowing blue Autobot symbol.

"Sorry, I put it on vibrate while I was talking to Grimlock."

"What is that?" The boy asked with a puzzled look. His gaze was focused on my hand. Slowly, his eyes darted back to me and widened, "Uh, if you don't mind me asking that is."

I shook my head with a laugh, "It's fine. This is my phone. Courtesy of Wheeljack."

"Wheeljack?" He asked again.

"Yeah, it only took him three tries before the sparking and flames stopped." I glanced at the phone in my hand, "Now there's only 45% chance it'll catch fire in my hand and a 10% chance it'll poison me with some form of radiation."

The kid's eyes widened a bit more before Annabelle rolled her eyes, "She's not serious."

"How dare you." I retorted.

"Aj, this is my friend Eli. Eli, this is my aunt Aj." Annabelle motioned from me to him and then back again.

I set my phone down and gave a small wave, "Hi there. Nice to finally meet you, Eli, I've heard a lot. I even met your dad too!"

"Really?" Eli said, "He didn't mention you. Then again, I uh, I didn't know you existed until about, um, twenty minutes ago?"

Eli wrung his hands together as he spoke, but as the words came to a stop he rubbed the palms of his hands against his side briefly. He was nervous about something. Meeting me? That didn't make sense. I wasn't that intimidating was I? His dark brown eyes darted from me to Annabelle and back again. I offered him a reassuring smile. He looked about Lex's age, around 15-ish, and he didn't look much like Epps. They had a similar face shape, but his features were different. I assumed that meant he looked more like his mom.

"So, how come you two aren't at school?"

Annabelle dropped down into the seat by my bed and patted the armrest. Eli rocked on his heels before coming over to sit next to her. Annabelle smiled at me, "It's a teacher's workday. No class, and I'm pretty sure I mentioned this to you at one point yesterday."

"Well, I'm pretty sure you didn't, smartaaa…. _butt_." I finished lamely.

Eli cracked a smile and Annabelle rolled her eyes, "I'm 17, Aj, and I go to public high school. No curse you say is going to poison my oh-so innocent ears."

"Yeah, well, your stepmom would murder me if she knew I was cursing around you kids." I argued. "Or worse, she'd lecture at me for God knows how long."

Eli chuckled again, "That's worse than murder?"

"I don't like listening to Aubrey's lectures. It's not fun." I shrugged, "So where's your third musketeer? Lex?"

This time Eli was the one to answer my question, "She's actually with Taylor right now. Her and Ratchet are doing some sort of check up on Blaster in the medbay below and sometimes Lex gets to watch."

"Neat-o." I replied. "So tell me a little about yourself, Eli."

His eyes widened almost comically as he shifted in his seat, "Um, ok? I- uh, I go to high school with AB. I'm going into the 10th grade after the summer. Hmm, my guardian is Blaster, but maybe you know that already…"

"I didn't!" I cried in surprise, "I can't believe Blaster never mentioned that."

"So you've met him?"

"Yeah, I hang out with him sometimes. Sometimes I just hang out with Steeljaw or Eject. I haven't hung out with Rewind yet though."

Eli's face lit up, "Rewind is so great! I mean, they're all great, don't get me wrong. Rewind helps me study though, he knows trivia about _everything_."

"Everything?" I pressed.

Annabelle nodded her head in exasperation, "Everything. No exaggeration there unfortunately."

"Alright", I nodded, "So what about music or movies?"

"Oh", He nodded and seemed more comfortable talking, "I like Triplus. They're music is pretty good. Movie wise? Uh, maybe that new movie with Thomas Bates? I can't remember the name, but it was funny. He's a really great actor."

My face was frozen in confusion. Triplus? Thomas Bates? Oh God, I was like an old lady who never kept up with the times. I was officially no longer hip. This was the most depressing revelation I've faced all day.

Annabelle, either noticing my confusion and trying to move past it or not seeing it at all, immediately jumped into a story she had wanted to tell me. Her voice was filled with excitement as she used her hands to speak. I listened intently, but couldn't help notice the way Eli watched her speak. There was so much admiration in his eyes, and he seemed so relaxed by her side. All nervous ticks I had seen from him earlier were non-existent as he listened and occasionally spoke up. Though my love life was far from extensive or remotely good, I knew a crush when I saw one, and this boy was crushing hard on my new niece.

* * *

Tyler slowly opened his eyes and lazily stared at the shapes and shadows formed on his ceiling from the artificial sunlight glowing across the room. Being that his room, like every other living person on base, was underground the need for artificial light was strong. For as long as he remembered the strange windows had been built around here. They must have come from Wheeljack, or maybe even Perceptor. Tyler couldn't remember nor did he care enough to try. With an inaudible groan, he sat up and rubbed at his face. He had set his window to match the sun's travel across the sky, so based on the light filling the room it was probably around 0900.

Shit. _0900_?

He glanced over at his alarm clock sitting on his bedside. The black box read '0924' and the way it lightly rocked against the wood meant it was probably blaring. It probably had been since 0850. He reached over and hit the button on top before jumping out of bed.

God knows where his hearing aids had gone, but if Wheeljack didn't get him some new ones soon he'd be out of a job. It took only ten minutes for Tyler to wash up and change into his Army combat uniform, but that was only because he made the decision to skip his morning shower.

Tyler slung his dog tags around his neck and jogged out his room while simultaneously sending out a text to Peter that he was on his way. It was then that he noticed he had multiple texts from his older brother, but it would only waste time to read them now. Tyler was fully aware of what they probably said.

As he hurried down the hall he passed a few people. Some smiled and opened their mouths to speak, but his speed kept him from being able to focus hard enough to understood what they said.

Being deaf didn't bother him like it used to.

As a kid, it was the worst thing in the world. He distinctly remembered feeling helpless and confused as the world around him began to grow quieter and quieter. Tyler remembered being scared for ages, but then Wheeljack and Perceptor introduced him to his newly made hearing aids. The technology was beyond what humans had and it was the product only two genius Cybertronians could create. It gave him back his hearing almost completely. It was damn near miraculous. Back in those days, he never would've ever lost track of his hearing aids. They were his rock, his shield, and his last tether to being completely normal. Well, as normal as a kid with metal alien best friends could be.

It was also around that time that his mom decided he needed to go to a different school than his sister. Up to that point, him and his twin had always been in the same class. Always. The decision made no sense to him at the time. Reading lips, thankfully, had come rather naturally to him and though it was still a tough thing to do and it required a lot of focus, he picked it up quickly. Still, mom had been adamant. It didn't matter that his magic hearing aids fixed everything and it didn't matter that he could read lips. She wanted him to attend an all deaf and hard of hearing school.

Tyler had been different than a lot of the kids there. Most of the ones in his class were kids who were born deaf or lost their hearing as babies. He was the only one who grew up hearing and speaking.

A slow smile spread across his face as he turned the corner and slowed his pace a bit. Thinking back on those days always made him feel blessed. Thank God his mom sent him to that school. Not only did that school teach him how to communicate without words or hearing, it taught him that he wasn't broken. Being deaf wasn't a disability; it was a part of who he was. It just came to him a little later than it came to others.

Now it didn't bother him to walk around without his hearing aids. Sure, it was a bit of a pain only because the military base wasn't built to accommodate someone like him, but he made it work. Plus, Prime and Prowl had worked so hard alongside Lennox to put in regulation that helped him.

A hand wrapped around his wrist and pulled him back a bit, startling him out of his thoughts. With wide eyes, he whipped his head around but the panic died down when his eyes landed on Riley who was grinning up at him with both her hands softly wrapped around his own.

She spoke and Tyler had been so focused on staring at her pretty brown eyes that he forgot to watch her light pink, shiny lips move.

 _"-find hearing aids? When…you…new ones?"_

He quickly connected the dots in his head and nodded, "No idea, Jack said he was working on 'em."

Tyler could feel the vibrations of his throat when he spoke, and it was with those vibrations he was able to keep his voice as steady and level as possible. He couldn't hear how loud or soft he spoke and he couldn't tell if the words flowed smoothly. It was only by sheer practice and attention in the moment that he could get through a conversation without someone noticing something off.

Riley's lips twitched up in a smirk, _"Well, how…after work today, me and you go…."_

It was hard to read the end of her sentence. She must have tried to say it under her breath because her lips made small movements in a quick fashion. Based on the look in her eyes and the way she leaned closer to him though while batting those long lashes at him, it was in Tyler's best interest to agree.

"Whatever you want, doll." Tyler grinned and leaned toward her. As much as he loved reading those cute lips there was something he'd much rather be doing with them. Before he could lean down and kiss her though, she took a step back and motioned behind him with a sheepish smile.

Tyler turned to see Peter standing by the meeting room door in his navy suit. He looked put together and professional as usual, and Tyler was hardly surprised to see the stern look on his older brother's face.

"Bye, Riles. I'll text you later." He said with a wave and walked forward, unaware if she replied to him.

Peter uncrossed his arms and began to sign at Tyler.

 _'You're late.'_

Tyler scrunched up his nose in distaste. If Peter used ASL then he couldn't claim to misunderstand his brother. He sighed and signed back, _'Didn't hear my alarm go off. Guess it wasn't loud enough.'_

Peter rolled his eyes and began to mumble something. Tyler could only catch the word ' _ass'_ and he was able to speculate from there. Peter pointed into the meeting room and Tyler grinned at him before slipping in.

Luckily, this morning wasn't a super important meeting. It was a rather casual one between some of the higher ups. The only higher ups that were present for today's briefing though were family.

Optimus sat at the head the table in his holoform with Prowl's holoform to his left and Lennox to his right. Lennox's gaze drifted over to him and it was filled with a mix of commander frustration and stepfather worry. Tyler made a fist and rubbed it in a small circle against his chest, finger side down. His apology was replied with by multiple nods. Peter took a seat beside Prowl and Tyler grabbed the seat beside Lennox.

Normally, this wasn't the kind of briefings he was privy to, but with Jazz and Bumblebee gone the responsibility fell upon him.

Peter waved to get his attention and began to sign at him, _'While Lennox talks I'm going to sign to you. Pay attention, moron.'_

' _Rude_.' Tyler quickly signed back with a smile. Lennox tried to learn sign language, but didn't really pick it up. He knew basics, but it was hard for him to follow when someone else signed and in Tyler's opinion he signed painfully slow.

 _'The first item on the agenda is Aj.'_ Tyler blinked in surprise, but didn't interrupt, _'The paperwork has gone through and no red flags have gone up, but our favorite government liaison will be here soon.'_

The sneer of disgust on Peter's face as he signed the word favorite made it clear who was being spoken about. Peter continued, _'He'll be here at the end of the month and we're going to have to introduce him. Hiding Aj is no longer and option we can continue on with.'_

Tyler threw his hand up and glanced around. Focus had been turned on him and it didn't look like anyone was speaking anymore. He coughed to clear his throat before speaking, "Maybe I missed it and Pete just signs slow, but are you suggesting we tell Aj about the secret we've all been tip-toeing around?"

 _"…she react to that news?"_ Lennox turned to face Tyler entirely about halfway through the sentence, but Tyler still figured it out. He continued, " _Wouldn't it be best if we…. to…. keep her ….the dark?"_

Tyler wasn't sure if someone else had already started to answer the question and he didn't look around to see. He wanted his opinion on the matter heard, "No. We should've told her the truth the day she was up and feeling well enough to talk. You haven't known Aj long, Lennox, but all of us should know better." Tyler glanced around the table, "Aj would hate that we were keeping this for her."

 _"It's for her own good."_ Peter spoke slowly so Tyler could pick up every word.

Tyler shook his head, "She'd hate that even more."

All eyes snapped over to the door so Tyler followed their gaze curiously. Wheeljack's holoform peeked his head in. It was only then that Tyler realized the Engineer should be in this meeting too. He was a higher up, same goes for Ratchet. Wheeljack's eyes landed on Tyler and he began to rapidly move his lips. Tyler couldn't follow the Engineer's words, but he could see the familiar hearing aids in the mech's hands.

Tyler stood and walked over to take them from him. He quickly slipped them over and into his ears. Once in place, they slowly began to fold inwards to align with his ear canal. He could feel the cold metal wires tracing further down into his ear. Wheeljack lifted his hand forward to touch something on the side and slowly sound began to return. It was slow at first. He could hear the deep rumblings of a voice and the quicker beat of Wheeljack's words. The hum of the lights came next along with the ticking of the clock against the side wall.

"Can you hear me? Hello?" Wheeljack's voice came though loud and clear.

"Tyler?" Optimus spoke from behind.

He glanced over his shoulder with a nod before clapping Wheeljack's shoulder loudly, "Thanks, Jackie. You're the best."

"Of course, anything for you." The Engineer chirped nonchalantly. Tyler walked back over to the table to sit down and Wheeljack took a seat beside him. It always took a few minutes for Tyler to get readjusted to hearing. It was odd to go from nothing to everything. He could hear the sound of Lennox's uniform rubbing against the metal seat as he shifted in place. Peter was rocking his foot under the table, a nervous tick he had picked up, and Optimus was lightly drumming his own holoform's fingers against the wooden tabletop.

"Aj is gonna find out the truth one way or another." Tyler said and it took a second to adjust to the sound of his voice, "She's too smart and curious to stay in the dark. You know that, Optimus."

"I do." Optimus replied softly with a slight nod of his head.

Tyler shrugged, "I just think it'd be better for all of us if she found out the truth from us."

* * *

The hallway outside the mess hall was loud and for the briefest moment, Tyler considered pulling out his newly gained hearing aids. It was Tuesday though; his workday, and he'd get a lot more done with them in.

"Yo, Ty."

He glanced over his shoulder in time to see Joey Moretti stride over with a grin stretched across his features. Joey was one of the soldiers that worked directly under Lennox on the main NEST squadron. However, him and Tyler went further back than that. The two of them had actually met during basic training years ago.

"Hey man." Tyler reached out to clasp one hand with Joey.

"Dude, your cousin is so fine."

Tyler blinked in confusion. Cousin? He had a cousin? Joey's dark brown eyes just continued to stare at him. His black hair was as long as it could be without going past regulation and currently it was slicked back. Joey's grin widened a bit, "Hello? Earth to Ty?"

"My cousin." Tyler spoke slowly.

Joey nodded, "Yeah, I saw her limping by earlier on the crutches. I think she was with, uh… _Sunstreaker_? To be honest, I haven't seen their holoforms enough to tell them apart."

Like a light being flipped on in his head, everything suddenly made sense. Tyler bobbed his head, "Oh, right. That cousin. Aj." He winced a bit and rubbed the back of his head, "Um, yeah."

Joey's grin fell, "Don't tell me she's not single."

"She's _way_ off limits man." Tyler replied with a chuckle, "And she's way too much for you to handle."

"What? She crazy or something?" Joey and him began to walk down the hall, "I mean, I met her mom. Dr. Bradshaw was rough."

"No, not crazy. Just… stubborn, and independent… and she could probably kick your ass."

Joey's eyes widened, "Excuse me?"

"You heard me." Tyler smirked, "Even with a shit knee, I bet she could whip your ass seven ways to Sunday."

Joey whistled, "With a body like that, I'd let her do all sorts of things to me."

Tyler gave him a pointed look, "Hey, that's my au-… _cousin_. That's my cousin you're talking about."

His friend held his hands up in mock surrender, "Sorry, man. What's her story then? Why is she on base with a bum knee and how does she know all the bots so well?"

"Er, that's not really my story to tell." Tyler shrugged. It was true. Although, it was mostly true because he had no idea what else to say. The truth, at the moment, was out of the question.

"Well you gotta tell me something about her."

"She's…She's- _wait_ , why exactly do I have to tell you anything about her?"

Joey paused as a sly smile crossed his features, "When you say she's off limits was that like an official ruling or a suggestion?"

"It's an official ruling, jackass." Tyler laughed, "Stay the hell away from my cousin."

Joey agreed in good nature and the two of them shared a quick goodbye before heading in opposite directions. The ruling itself was to mostly protect his good friend anyways. Tyler didn't doubt that Aj could do some serious damage to Joey especially now that she was armed with crutches. That wasn't his biggest worry though. Joey was a good guy, respectable. Aj would probably get along with him.

The problem was, Tyler could picture a good number of overprotective, bonded mechs that wouldn't be happy with the idea of some soldier hitting on Aj. God, he could see the glare from Sunstreaker already. Making Aj, his supposed cousin, off limits was a good decision. Besides, it'd be fucking weird as hell if his best friend started dating his aunt. Tyler cringed once before heading toward his station.

* * *

Taylor sighed and continued to tap the end of her pen against the table in annoyance. Her job was fun and enjoyable, but every month or so she had to do the only un-fun part of her job.

Supply Count.

At first she was honored that Ratchet trusted her enough to look through the items in the online database and re-order more if necessary. Now though? She was positive Ratchet made her do this simply because he didn't want to do it himself. It was a long, boring process and it meant she'd have to deal with her least favorite human being on the planet, NEST's official government issued human liaison. Luckily, she'd have Sam with her and the Autobot issued liaison had gotten pretty good at dealing with the ass.

Taylor scribbled down a note to order more scrap metal. She lifted her head in time to see Ratchet come into the below ground Medbay through the glass walls of his office. He had set aside a human sized desk on his own large desk for her to work on.

"Youngling, are you almost done?" Ratchet called out.

"Almost. I need you to double check me on a few things though." She called back with a smile. It had been twenty years since they came through that portal, yet the mechs that had lived with them in their own universe still referred to her and her brothers as ' _younglings'_. Most of the mechs and femmes she had met since arriving no longer called her youngling due to the fact that she was an actual adult. A fact that Ratchet and the others refused to accept apparently.

Another thing Taylor had noticed, years and years ago, was their change in wording. Taylor couldn't really remember the exact details from back when she was six and they were a foot tall, but when speaking to humans they tended to use human words now. For the most part. Things still slipped out and most humans on base understood their terminology now anyways, but it was still a major shift.

The only exception? The bonded humans.

Her, Tyler, Peter, and now Aj still got the Cybertronian words. This wasn't limited to the mechs who lived as toys for a couple months either. Every Cybertronian she has ever met refers to her as femme whereas her mother, stepsister, and every other woman on base are referred to as female. Tyler and Peter were mechs whereas Lennox and Epps were males. Nobody ever commented on it, but it was still something she had made a mental note of. It was a curious thing. Was it because they had bonds with Cybertronians? Was it because they still gave off a slight spark signal that read as Cybertronian? All questions she always meant to ask Ratchet about, but they never came up.

"I'll look it over in a moment." Ratchet replied, "I need you to do a favor for me."

He came over and offered his hand. Taylor pushed away from her desk and stepped into his palm. She nodded, "What is it?"

"I need you to keep your aunt preoccupied. She's supposed to be getting her knee brace today from Wheeljack, but unsurprisingly she isn't being very patient." Ratchet grumbled, "The femme is driving me up the wall. She won't step sending messages with her phone over my comm link channel."

"Where is she?" Taylor chuckled.

"Upstairs. One of the soldier break rooms."

Taylor's eyes widened, "By herself? What if someone-"

Ratchet shook his head, "One of the twins cleared the room for her. Another thing she is showing extreme displeasure about."

Ratchet set her down in the open elevator. Taylor grinned up at him, "Don't worry, Ratchet. I'll keep her busy."

 _'I can't right now. Maybe later?'_ Taylor typed the words into her xScreen without looking up. She's been down the halls of this base so many times that she'd bet she could do it blindfolded. As for the people? Well, they were avoiding running into her so it worked out.

A few seconds passed before the reply came in, ' _Holding you to it, sweetie.'_

The words made a small smile form on her lips and the smile only grew the more she thought about him. Quickly, she shoved the phone into the back pocket of her jeans and picked up her pace. The break room Aj was supposed to be in was just around the corner.

When she did finally turn the corner, Taylor was surprised to see Tyler and Joey standing outside the archway entrance looking in. Both wore their Army uniforms and Taylor found herself once again thankful that Ratchet didn't make her wear any type of uniform other than the protective suit when she was working.

"Taylor, thank God you're here." Joey breathed a sigh of relief as she stepped closer to them. Joey was much shorter than Tyler, but that was probably because Tyler was just so ridiculously tall. The handsome Italian man was still a couple inches taller than her meaning he had to be around 5'8 or 5'9.

Taylor gave him a friendly smile, "Hey, Joe. What's going on?"

She leaned past him slightly to peek into the nearly empty room. The only person in there was Aj who was sitting at one of the tables with her leg perched up on the chair beside her. She was talking into her phone, arguing actually, and Taylor prayed she'd hadn't given up messaging and just called Ratchet.

"Can I hook up with your cousin?"

"What?" Taylor blurted rather loudly as her head snapped back around to face the entirely serious soldier.

Tyler crossed his arms, "I told you. She's off limits."

"Yeah, but we all agreed that Taylor has veto powers on this list!" Joey argued with a smirk. He turned back to her with pleading eyes while Tyler rolled his own with a chuckle. Joey was a really good guy, although he did tend to sleep around a bit. Taylor could hardly judge considering her own twin brother was the same kind of guy. She glanced back into the break room just in time to see Aj hang up the phone and cross her arms in frustration. She was obviously annoyed.

Taylor grinned and rubbed Joey's arm encouragingly, "Of course. I give you full permission to go hit on my cousin."

"What?" Tyler cried in shock and Joey mimicked the same question. Apparently, he hadn't expected a positive answer either.

Taylor nodded, "Sure. Go get her, tiger."

Joey pointed at her, "I knew you were my favorite Williams twin."

He stepped into the room and Tyler all but pounced on her, "What do you think you're doing? That's Joey, and she's Aj!"

"I'm aware."

"You're just going to let him go over there and be….well, _him_? She's already in a bad mood." Tyler argued.

The twins stepped into the doorway to watch as Joey rolled his shoulders once before heading toward her table. Taylor shrugged, "It's going to be funny though when she shoots him down. The sarcastic interaction might actually make her feel better too."

"How do you know she won't show interest?"

Taylor raised an eyebrow at Tyler, "Does Aj seem like the kind of woman that falls for cheesy pick up lines?"

"Fair point."

They both watched as Joey leaned against the back of the chair next to Aj. Her blue eyes focused on him as one of her eyebrows slowly lifted in a questioning manner. Joey put on his normal, charming smirk, "Hey there."

"Hi." Aj replied bluntly.

"What's a gorgeous girl like you doing over here by yourself?" Joey asked while slightly leaning forward. His smirk widened into a friendly smile, showing his straight nice teeth.

There was a heavy pause before Aj broke out into a small smile, "How clever."

"I'm sorry?" Joey pressed in confusion.

"Do you always hit on the ones that can't _physically_ run away from you? I mean, it's a strategic tactic I'll give you that."

Tyler burst into laughter and Taylor couldn't help but feel a bit smug at the whole ordeal. Both Joey and Aj glanced over at them. Taylor dragged the still laughing Tyler over to the table.

"Laugh all you want." Joey scoffed, "Because I'm pretty sure I'm in love."

"Who the hell are you?" Aj questioned with a shake of her head.

Joey grinned and offered his hand, "Right! I'm Joey, Joey Moretti, but you can refer to me as your future husband."

"Oh, I have a different nickname for you in mind, buddy." Aj replied.

Taylor took a seat to Aj's immediate right while the guys took seats across the table from them. Joey, far from deterred, continued, "So, Aj, right?" She nodded in a bored manner, "Tell me a little about yourself?"

Tyler's eyes snapped to meet her gaze and they shared a worried look. Taylor nodded toward Joey and he took the hint. Tyler cleared his throat and clapped his friend on the back, "Joey, why don't you tell Aj more about yourself? It's not like your first impression was all to great."

Joey snapped his fingers, "You're right. What do you want to know?"

"Um, why am I still conversing with you?" Aj asked.

"Good question. Straight to the point, I like that." Joey nodded, "I'm this guy's best friend", he pointed to Tyler, "and since you two are family that means you're going to have to put up with me for the foreseeable future. Might as well get to know one another right? Become friends. Maybe slowly fall in love and once day get married?"

Taylor watched as Aj slowly narrowed her eyes at him. She couldn't tell what her aunt was thinking. Aj nodded once, "You Italian?"

"Si, bella." Joey answered. Taylor was 90% sure that was all the Italian he knew how to speak. That and all the curse words.

"Can you cook authentic Italian food?" Aj crossed her arms.

Joey's eyes widened slightly, "Uh, I can learn."

Aj paused in thought before nodding once, "Alright. We can be friends, but only on a trial period. I expect Italian cuisine in the near future."

"Great! And the whole 'slowly falling in love' thing?"

Aj raised an eyebrow at him and Tyler shook his head with a sigh, "Bro, don't push your luck."

From there the conversation flowed rather naturally and Aj's sour mood slowly lifted. It was hard for Tyler and Taylor to both keep the topic from drifting close to who Aj was, and it was stressful every time Joey spoke. The last thing they needed was for him to call her their cousin. Luckily, Aj had gotten Joey talking about his 7 sisters and there was no turning back from there. Joey could talk all day long about his family and he had plenty of stories to tell.

Nearly an hour had passed and Aj was actually laughing throughout the conversation. Taylor beamed at her success at keeping Aj occupied and out of Ratchet's metaphorical hair.

"We should probably get going. I think we've put work off enough for one afternoon." Tyler sighed and rose from his chair.

Joey scoffed, "Speak for yourself."

"Come on. Lennox is gonna be pissed at you." Tyler replied. Taylor felt her xScreen vibrate and slowly began to pull it out.

Joey stood up and lightly punched Tyler in the shoulder, "It's alright. I'm besties with Lennox's kid."

"Step kid and I ain't making excuses for you." Tyler laughed. He nodded across the table. "Bye guys."

Taylor smiled at her brother and glanced down at her phone, _'Lunch break without you is awful. I miss you.'_

 _'Aw, don't be such a baby_.' She replied.

"Wait, are you really not going to vouch for me? Tyler?" Joey called after his leaving friend. He sighed and knocked his knuckles against the table, "Later, Tay. Bye, wifey."

Aj scoffed, but there was amusement in her tone, "Yeah, I didn't approve of that nickname."

Joey grinned in response and continued on his way out. Taylor watched him go in amusement. She couldn't say her aunt and her brother's best friend getting along surprised her, but she didn't think they'd hit it off so quickly. When she turned her attention back to Aj she jumped in surprise at the sight of Aj already staring back at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Um what?" Taylor pressed.

Aj shrugged, "You've successfully distracted me for about an hour. Congrats." She clapped her hands and sat up in her seat some, "Now let's go see Jackie and my new brace."

"Ratchet said-"

"Either you come with me or I limp there myself." Aj replied and stood up to grab her crutches, "Your choice, Tay."

Taylor sighed and rose to follow her headstrong aunt. This was something that didn't surprise her whatsoever.

* * *

 _'I'm on my way. Tell them to wait.'_

Taylor read the text from Ratchet silently. After arriving at Wheeljack's lab she had went ahead and shot the medic a text letting him know what was happening. Partly because he was her boss and she was technically working right now, but the biggest reason was that she knew if she didn't the medic would literally murder them all.

"Hey guys, Ratchet said-" Taylor began, but when she looked up from her phone she realized the eager engineer and excited cripple were way ahead of her. Wheeljack had activated his holoform upon arrival, but now he had Aj sitting on the hood of his alt mode as he screwed the fancy knee brace onto her.

Wheeljack paused and turned around with wide eyes, "Ratchet said what?"

"Nothing." Taylor chuckled. She stepped forward, "It's a little late now."

"This thing is so cool looking, Jackie." Aj said in awe. The knee brace was an opaque white color and Taylor could tell it was Cybertronian metal. This didn't surprise her. Wheeljack always used Cybertronian materials when it came to fixing Tyler's hearing aids, her touch sensors, or Peter's sight ring. It only made sense he did the same for Aj. "How does it work?"

"Simple." Wheeljack chirped as he continued to screw the small metal pieces onto the hinges, "This brace holds your knee in place and locks around it to prevent unnecessary weight from being placed on your fragile bone. This will allow you to walk at a normal gait."

"No limping?"

"None at all!"

"Can I jump and fight and stuff?"

Wheeljack grinned, "Without a doubt! It's also bulletproof!" His smile faltered for a second, "Although, I hardly think you would need to do either of those things. You're safe here and-"

"Thanks, Jackie. I really appreciate this." Aj replied with a soft smile. Wheeljack's worry melted away and Taylor watched his holoform's eyes soften as he replied in kind. Taylor always knew the twins and Jazz were close to Aj. Ratchet too. She remembered those things and anytime Aj came up in conversation over the last 20 years people reminded her of this. She even vaguely remembered Aj saving Wheeljack from being crushed, but she didn't remember them being very close. She thought Wheeljack had been closest to Peter.

"Alright." Wheeljack set down the tool. He picked up a small black chip and slid it into the even smaller access slot at the top of the brace. Aj let out a gasp of surprise as the brace began to shift around her leg. The opaque color slowly began to vanish leaving the metal clear. Taylor's eyes widened at the scar that lined Aj's knee. This was the first she was seeing it.

Aj's eyes darted up to meet Taylor's and for the briefest moment Taylor thought she saw embarrassment. The look faded quickly and Taylor doubted what she saw. Aj didn't get embarrassed.

"Try to stand." Wheeljack chirped.

Aj cautiously slid off the hood of Wheeljack's alt mode until her toes hit the ground. She put all her weight on her good foot first and slowly began to press down on the bad one.

"So?" Taylor questioned. Aj shifted her weight and her eyes widened in surprise. Taylor let out a gasp as Aj suddenly pushed off her legs, jumping into the air, and landing in a slight squat. "Are you crazy?"

"It works." Aj laughed, "This is amazing, Jackie!"

"I'm glad you like it." Wheeljack beamed with pride as Aj began to jog in place.

Taylor nervously bit down on her lip as Aj began to do high knees, "Don't you think you're pushing it a little."

"It feels fine. Better than fine. My leg feels strong." Aj replied.

Wheeljack nodded, "The apparatus will add a bit of strength. In fact, if the occasion were to ever arise and you were falling from a great height or kicking something, I would suggest using that leg specifically. It will bear a great amount of weight before breaking."

"Thank you so much again, Jackie." Aj threw her arms around him in a hug that he happily returned. They broke apart after a moment.

Taylor nodded, "So how do you take it off?"

"I'm sorry?" Wheeljack turned to face her with wide eyes.

"How do you take it off for repairs or upgrades or any check ups she has?"

There was a pause of silence as Taylor and Aj both stared at Wheeljack in question. He opened his mouth once before snapping in closed for a second. He cleared his throat and nodded, "That's what I forgot to do."

"She can't take it off?" Taylor pressed. This meant if an upgrade was needed they'd have to destroy the one on her leg carefully to remove and replace it, and upgrades were a mandatory thing. It was a question of 'if', but more of a question of 'when'.

Aj shrugged, "So I'll just never take it off. No biggie."

The sound of someone entering the passcode into the door meant Ratchet was here. Taylor hung her head in defeat. They were so dead.

* * *

Bear whined lightly as he rested his head against the top of my new knee brace. The two of us were sitting on the couch together in one of the smaller break rooms around the base. Taylor was sitting at a table nearby working through some paperwork of some kind.

I scratched around Bear's ears with a small smile. Ever since he got back yesterday morning, on Thursday, he had been stuck to my side. Not that I was complaining about that. I missed my puppy way too much. Bear whined again and licked my clear knee brace above the spot where my ugly surgical scar could be seen.

"I'm fine." I mumbled to him in response. Apparently, my pup was as bothered by the ugly mark as I was. Although, these days I was more bothered by the fact that it bothered me. It was just a stupid scar, yet for some reason I still got chills every time I looked at it.

Wheeljack was working on a new knee brace though. One that would be removable if need be. That was the only big change that needed to occur considering the brace itself worked like a charm. I had gone running yesterday around Ratchet's medbay. _Running_. It felt amazing, like I was able to truly breathe for the first time in ages.

Despite the brace working more than perfectly, I did ask Wheeljack for one other change. I told him I didn't care what color the next brace ended up being, but I knew I didn't want it to be clear.

"Oh my God."

I turned my attention away from Bear to look over at Taylor. She was grinning at her phone in excitement. I nodded at her, "What is it?"

Taylor grinned at me, "They're back!"

"What?"

"Bee and Jazz!" Taylor laughed, "They're here on base!"

I sat up straight and threw one leg off the couch making Bear rise up in surprise. They were here? Here? A smile crept onto my features in my own excitement. I leaned over and kissed Bear's head before rushing across the room to Taylor.

"Well what are we waiting for?"

Taylor shook her head and motioned for me to sit down. I hesitantly did and Bear walked over to lie on the ground between us, "They just got here, Aj. They're gonna have to be debriefed by Lennox and Optimus first. Plus, Ratchet's going to want to look them over."

I frowned and rested my head against my hand, "Seriously?"

"Yeah, but we can probably go see them in an hour or two!" She tried to cheer me back up.

"Uh huh." I mumbled unhappily. This wasn't that big of a deal. I've been waiting for them for weeks now what was another two hours? Still, it took every urge not to go running out of the break room looking for the two mechs I hadn't seen in what felt like ages. "Fine. I'll just sit here and wait patiently."

Taylor laughed, "When have you ever done anything patiently, Aj?"

"I resent that."

"Sure." She chuckled and went back to her work. However, I could see the smirk on her lips and the bounce of her leg. She was eager to see Bumblebee, I was sure. With a smile of my own I leaned back in my seat and reached one hand down to rub Bear's head.

A couple minutes passed before the sound of footsteps made me glance over at the doorway. Tyler had been here earlier and left his hat so I assumed he was on his way back. However, a different familiar face rushed into the room. My eyes widened at the sight of Jazz's holoform standing there. He looked the same, with a pair of sunglasses over his eyes, but now he wore a military uniform similar to the others I had seen. After rushing through the doorway he came to a complete standstill and just stared.

"Jazz?" Taylor questioned in surprise.

Jazz had a look of disbelief as he mouth hung open slightly. The shock surrounding me wore off and I jumped out of my seat, knocking it backwards onto the floor. With my fancy ass knee brace, it took me only seconds to cross the room and tackle Jazz in a hug. It took him off guard and he stumbled back, but before we fell over he readjusted to keep us upright. With a laugh my arms wrapped around his neck as his own arms wrapped around my torso.

"You're… _you_." Jazz breathed. "You're _you_ and you're _here_ and…"

"And I'm not going anywhere." I replied and pressed my lips against the side of his face. Jazz tightened his arms around me and buried his face in the crook of my neck.

" _You're here_."


	7. Chapter 7

_A/N: WOW HEY LOOK I'M NOT DEAD. Well, I'm kind of dead lol. Sorry this has taken me so long guys but I really have lost a good chunk of my inspiration for this story. It feels like a chore to write this now and that's a problem. Hopefully, after I watch the newest TF movie tonight I'll get a sudden burst of inspiration to write this story. If that doesn't work then I might just have to write a quick drabble or something else to distract me. That works sometimes._

 _Anyways, this chapter ends kind of abruptly b/c it's only about 25% of what I planned. I just wanted to get this out since y'all haven't heard from me in a while._

 _ALSO ONE LAST THING: To the guest reviewer who called Aj a Disney princess—you rock. I'm so glad that someone remembered that little joke I made ages ago! It's really nice to know that my jokes amuse more than just me haha._

* * *

Chapter Seven:

Never Healed

* * *

 _"While they all fall in love with her smile she waits for one who will fall in love with her scars." –The Dreamer_

* * *

"Can you stop looking at me like that?" I asked, but I couldn't keep the grin off my face or the amusement. "I feel like I'm about to spontaneously combust."

Jazz, who sat across the room from me on one of Ratchet's medbay berths, chuckled and shook his head. His visor caught the overhead lights and glinted slightly, "Sweetspark, I aint ever takin' my optics off ya again."

My chest filled with warmth and I bounced slightly on my heels. I was standing on the opposite berth from him watching as Ratchet got ready to do some sort of checkup. The medic was also waiting for Bumblebee to show up as well. Jazz and I had both come straight from the break room after seeing each other while Taylor ran off to find Bumblebee and Bear wandered off on his own. Anytime Bear wandered off like that he was usually looking for Sunstreaker.

"We're 'ere now." Jazz motioned with his large arms to the medbay. It was so odd seeing my friend so large. Jazz, unlike some of the others, looked exactly like he did back in our universe except ginormous. There were a few differences, I supposed. Now that I was really looking at him I could see them. He wasn't as boxy anymore, and now had round features on his torso and hips that made him look sleeker than before. Something told me his alt mode followed suite. Jazz's helmet was a bit more modern looking as well along with his dark, reflective visor. "Aj?"

"Hmm?" My eyes widened as I realized I had zoned out while he was talking.

Jazz twisted his metal lips, "What happened, girl? What's with the knee brace? And why are you- I mean, you haven't aged a bit."

"You have all that information on file." Ratchet spoke up as he came over with a tray of tools. Jazz eyed the tools warily while the medic continued, "You can read up on everything you missed, Jazz."

"I know." Jazz nodded and rolled his shoulders, "But I wanna hear it from 'er. I haven't heard that voice in _twenty_ human years."

I smirked, "Aw, the big tough Jazz man missed my voice?"

"More than you will _ever_ know." Jazz replied with a soft smile, his words untinged by his usual accent.

It felt like my cheeks were heating up so I just shrugged and crossed my arms, "What do you wanna know? Should I start from the beginning? It's a long story, Jazz."

Jazz didn't reply, he just nodded at me once while holding his arm out toward Ratchet who took a seat on a stool beside him. Ratchet began to pull back the plating on Jazz's arm to take a look at his protoform and wires. I sucked in a deep breath and started from the moment I realized the portal wasn't originally working for me.

It was strange to go over this story again, and I wasn't exactly enjoying reliving these moments. Just like before, I skipped over the conversation with those weird ass visitors and went right to Boss' brother Morgan. Jazz apparently was enjoying this story as much as I was. His features had grown solemn and I could see his body stiffen unhappily. By time I got to telling him the last bit of my tale, Wheeljack applying the brace to my leg, Ratchet had finished with Jazz's arm and was checking something at the back of his torso.

"He's working on a new one already." I clapped my hands and kicked my bad leg out, "One that comes off without having to destroy it."

"How do ya feel? Is there any pain still?" Jazz pressed. He nodded toward me, "It looks like it hurt, sweetspark."

The urge to use my hand to cover the scar washed over me, but I bit it back with a forced smile, "It is what it is. There really isn't any more pain, just discomfort. Except when I'm doing physical therapy. That hurts like a bitch."

" _Language_." Ratchet spoke up.

Jazz shook his head, "I'm sorry."

"What?" I questioned in confusion. It sounded like he apologized, but I must have heard him wrong.

"I'm sorry." Jazz repeated himself, "I-"

"You have nothing to apologize for." I replied, "No one could've predicted or prevented what happened to me. No one is to blame for my condition except myself."

Jazz didn't look like he agreed, but he didn't have the time to say otherwise. The sound of footsteps made us all look to the doorway in time to see Bumblebee walk in with Taylor perched on his shoulder. He had the same shape as his form back in my universe, door wings and all.

"Aj!" He chirped and lifted one hand to steady Taylor before jogging over toward the berth I stood on. He knelt down in front of me so we were closer to eye level. Taylor jumped from his shoulder to the berth while Bumblebee scooped me up into a makeshift hug. "We missed you so much! Are you alright? I read the reports about your knee."

"I'm fine, Bee. It's nice to see you again too." I replied and let my small hand pat the spot on his that I could reach.

"Set her down and get over here." Ratchet called out to the younger mech.

Bumblebee groaned and set me down, "You have her in here as a trap."

Ratchet smirked but didn't reply. It actually made sense now. No wonder he let me stay in here while he worked on these check ups. That sly medic. If Ratchet decided to try and take over the world, instead of the decepticons, we'd all be in a world of hurt. The thought of the decepticons had slipped in unwillingly and I felt the ball of anger and bitterness in my stomach grow. I stopped thinking of them after my talk with Ratchet. It just bothered me too much.

"I'm done now, ain't I?" Jazz asked and Ratchet grunted out his affirmation. Jazz turned his head to grin at me, "Wanna accompany me to go see the higher ups?"

"Are you sure I can?" I raised an eyebrow at him and ignored the slight yelp that came from Bumblebee as Ratchet checked his wires. "Don't you have to go talk shop with them about secret missions and the like?"

Jazz offered me his hand and I stepped onto it without hesitation, "I told ya, femme. I ain't letting you outta my sight again."

* * *

Jazz knew he should've been listening to the little mech in front of him, but Primus the words were going right over his helm. This was important information. He was being updated on all the meetings he had missed while gone on his mission with Bumblebee. It was stuff he wanted to know, yet he couldn't focus on a single word that Tyler said. Instead his optics were glued to the hallway entryway waiting for his femme to come walking through.

"Well, I guess it's a good thing I transcribed all this into your files since you're _not_ listening to a word." Tyler sighed.

Jazz turned to look at him with a small smirk, "I'm listenin', little man."

Tyler scoffed and leaned against the railway in front of him. He was standing on the walkway above the hanger's floor so Jazz could stay in his bipedal mode while speaking to him. Tyler chuckled, "Liar."

"She should be done by now, shouldn' she?" Jazz questioned and shifted his weight from pedal to pedal. He had just gotten back. In his opinion, it was too soon for him to be away from her. They had so much to catch up on, at least in his view. After talking to Prime with her in tow, she had to leave for physical therapy.

Physical therapy. Jazz's energon boiled at the thought of what she had to go through. The pain she had to endure. He promised to protect her, to keep her safe, but he failed yet again.

"You're not listening to me again."

Jazz's attention snapped back to Tyler in time to see another human join him. He recognized this female soldier. She was with the Air Force based on her uniform and he believed she worked directly under Lennox. She leaned against the railing beside Tyler, "To be fair, who _does_ listen to you, Williams?"

"Hardy har har, Kang." Tyler scoffed in response.

The female's last name was Kang and it took a moment for Jazz to remember her first name. It was Hemi. She was Korean in descent. Her black hair was short enough that it didn't have to be pulled back in a regulation bun and her face was petite and heart shaped. She had a naturally tan skin tone with large, dark eyes.

Hemi smiled at him, "Nice to see you back, Jazz."

"It's good to be back." He nodded in return. She was a good soldier. Small in stature, but good with a gun and loyal to the cause. Plus she was fun to be around. That was always an added bonus. Then again, there were few soldiers that Jazz worked with that he didn't like. The humans were good allies.

"What are you two doing here?" Hemi asked in Tyler's direction.

"Waiting for Aj to finish with physical therapy." Tyler sighed. "She should be done soon and Jazz wants to spend every winking moment with her."

Jazz leveled a slight glare at him, but he didn't seem to notice or care. Him and Hemi drifted off into their own conversation while Jazz's gaze slid back over to the hallway entryway across the hanger. A few more moments passed before a familiar face came into view. He felt his lips twitch up in a smile, but it didn't last long.

Aj was eating what looked like a small tub of ice cream while happily conversing with another one of Lennox's soldiers, Joey Moretti. The two paused at the entryway with Aj leaning against the wall casually. Joey stepped toward her and planted one hand against the wall beside her so he could lean in her direction. Jazz stiffened at the motion and the only thing stopping him from going over was the laugh that spilled from Aj's lips.

"Calm down, Jazz." Tyler spoke up, "They're just friends."

"Who?" Hemi leaned over to view the two of them, "Oh, of course it's Joey flirting with her."

Tyler cut in quickly, "It's just him being him. Aj has already made it explicitly clear that she's not interested in him. In fact, I know that Joey just scored a date with one of the nurses tonight."

"Then what's he doing?" Jazz asked.

"He's just messing around. You know him." Tyler shrugged. "Please don't kill my best friend."

Hemi raised an eyebrow, "You seem pretty protective, Jazz. Is she his ward?"

Jazz didn't bother answering because Tyler took the initiative too. He cycled air through his vents and tried to calm down. He was being absurd now. The fact of the matter was, he had been out in the field too long. Jazz needed to take a breather, as the humans say, and relax for the next few days. Get his helm on straight.

He glanced back over, calmer than before, and prepared to make his way over. Joey had pulled his arm away and glanced down the hall at someone else. A few earth seconds passed before Sideswipe's holoform showed up. The three shared a quick word before Joey entered further into the hanger. Aj and Sideswipe spoke for a moment before he began to lead her back down the hall away from the hanger. Jazz narrowed his optics and before the two left his view, Sideswipe glanced over his shoulder at him.

"Now that, I don't know what to say." Tyler cleared his throat.

"Hey! Jazz man, you're back!" Joey yelled as he got closer, "Tyler, Hemi! What's up?"

Hemi smiled and spoke loud enough for the Italian man to notice, "Oh great, he noticed us."

"You know you love me." Joey called back.

Jazz didn't mean to ignore the soldier, but he quickly transformed and moved on from the scene. Aj and Joey spending time together didn't worry him much. He mainly just didn't want to see Joey even try and attempt to treat her like he treated many other females around the base. The human had quite the reputation. However, Aj spending time with the twins truly did worry him and it was for an entirely different reason. A comm was sent across his system from Prime. Jazz hesitated a moment before changing direction and heading to where Optimus was located. Maybe he did need that vacation Ratchet suggested.

* * *

Sideswipe was still in his military uniform as he half dragged me down the hall with a lopsided grin on his face. Those walking the opposite direction of us cleared out of the way either due to his pace or the impish look in his pretty eyes.

"Sides, I told Jazz I'd meet with him after PT." I chuckled and finished the last of my ice cream. Sideswipe noticed the empty carton and took it and my spoon away from me. He handed it to another passing soldier, one I didn't recognize, and continued to lead me away. I glanced over my shoulder at the man's confused expression, "I am _so_ sorry!"

"Don't apologize. He's closer to a trash can than us." Sideswipe laughed.

"You can't just do that, dork." I punched him in the arm, "And seriously, I saw Jazz across the room talking to someone on the walkway."

Sideswipe waved away my words and wrapped his arm around my shoulders, "He's just catching up on work stuff. It'll be boring. Plus, you haven't hung out with me and Sunny in a while."

"Y'all have been busy with work." I argued, "Like non-stop shifts."

"Well we're back to our normal schedule starting right now."

I smiled at him, "Then you should get some rest or something. Jazz isn't gonna be happy with this, you know."

Sideswipe scoffed, "I think we'll survive."

I opened my mouth to speak when a sharp pain radiated through my knee. A yelp came out instead of words and I wobbled in place. Sideswipe's arms quickly wrapped around me as alarm spread across his features. The pain was gone as quick as it came.

"Are you alright?" Sideswipe pressed, "What happened?"

"I think my knee's just exhausted from PT." I shrugged and tried to shrug out his grasp to stand on my own. His grip tightened, "Sides, really I'm fine."

Sideswipe shook his holoform's head, "No way. We should go see Ratchet or Wheeljack. You lost your balance which means the brace wasn't doing what it was supposed to do."

I lifted a hand to press against his cheek, "Sides, I promise. I am ok. Jackie is working on a new one as we speak. The pain is already gone too."

"Still." Sideswipe whined in worry. "If I wasn't here you would've hit the ground. _The ground_."

Before I could reply to him the roaring of an engine began to fill the hallway, as did the startled cries of multiple different humans. I could feel the ground beneath my feet vibrate slightly before a bright yellow Lamborghini whipped around the corner. It skid across the floor slightly, but didn't touch either side of the hallway walls.

" _Sunstreaker_?" I cried in surprise as my eyes landed on the bright red autobot face where the Lamborghini symbol should be. The soldiers in the hall rushed to the side as Sunstreaker drove right up to us, screeching to a halt. Transforming in this hallway would lead to disaster, but they were built for the Cybertronians to drive in.

The yellow door swung open and up and his holoform came storming out with furrowed brows and a look of worry. The twins shared a glance and I knew that glance was just a conversation I wasn't privy to.

"Sit down." Sunstreaker said as he easily looped his arms around me and pulled me toward the front of his alt form. "Careful."

"I'm fine. Come on, we're causing a scene." I sighed as Sunstreaker carefully set me down to lean against the front of his hood. The other soldiers in the hall had pulled away from the wall now that Sunstreaker wasn't speeding through. However, they weren't being subtle with the stares as they passed.

Sideswipe glanced around as Sunstreaker slowly lifted my leg, "Do you want me to get rid of everyone?"

"No!" I cried and pulled his arm toward me, "The scene is quite large enough, thanks."

Sunstreaker cradled my ankle with one hand while holding my foot against his stomach. Like Sideswipe, he holoform wore his military uniform. The mech's serious gaze was focused on my brace, "What happened?"

"I'm just tired from PT." I answered. Sunstreaker caught my gaze before looking over at Sideswipe. I raised an eyebrow at both of them, "If I'm forced to be in this mess the least you can do is talk about me out loud."

Sideswipe grinned, "Sorry, babe."

"Sunflower", I said to the mech actually holding my leg, "I really am fine. Nothing is wrong."

Sunstreaker shook his head, "Am I allowed to double check that theory for you? Please?"

I sighed and lifted a hand in allowance. Sunstreaker nodded before using his free hand to feel different areas on my brace. I tore my glance away to make awkward eye contact with some of the passing soldiers. Some would return the grimace like smile I offered, but others averted their eyes and hurried on their way.

That wasn't just me though. I had noticed some of the soldiers on base avoided the twins, and when I say twins I mostly mean Sunstreaker. It didn't surprise me too much considering he could be pretty intimidating. It'd bother me if I didn't know that Sunstreaker liked the solitude his intimidating demeanor earned.

"Your brace is malfunctioning." Sunstreaker suddenly spoke.

I blinked in surprise, "What?"

"Here." He motioned to a spot behind my knee, "This area is shutting down which means it isn't providing the support you need. That's why you felt pain."

Now the twins' worry had spread to me. I stared at my brace, "Well what do we do?"

"We take you to Wheeljack." Sunstreaker scooped me up and glanced at Sideswipe. His holoform nodded before disappearing from view leaving Sunstreaker and I. "And you stay off your leg."

"No!" I whined as he set me in the passenger seat, "He'll take it off and since he hasn't finished the new brace I'll be back with my crutches."

Sunstreaker drove off without bothering to activate his holoform inside at the driver's seat. I crossed my arms unhappily. Like hell I was about to start limping around the base again. Fuck that.

"If you keep walking around on that broken brace you'll make your knee worse." Sunstreaker replied. I could tell he was taking the path to the main elevator so we could make it to Wheeljack's lab.

I leaned back into the seat and let my gaze fall onto the ugly scar, "How do you even know it's malfunctioning?"

"I had Wheeljack send me the schematics when he first put it on."

"Why?"

"For moments like this obviously." He replied and my lips twitched up slightly. As Sunstreaker came to a stop in the elevator, I let my fingers trace the edges of my brace around the scar. It seemed like every time I got close to forgetting about this stupid injury something happened to remind me that it wasn't ever going to go away. This scar wasn't like my others and that was because this injury, unlike all the others, would never truly heal. Without a brace, I'd walk around with a limp and an extremely weak leg.

A warm hand slid over mine startling me slightly. I glanced up to see Sunstreaker's holoform was sitting in the driver's seat now. Our eyes were locked as he comfortingly gripped my hand and pulled it away from the scar. He didn't say anything, but he really didn't have to. His eyes said it all.

I nodded and gave him a small smile as thanks. I wasn't dealing with this alone. That was also different with this injury. It wasn't just me sitting in a shitty apartment by myself hoping it would get better one day. I had a team that cared about me. A family.

"Let's go see Jackie, huh?" I chuckled.

When Sunstreaker and I arrived at Wheeljack's lab, I was surprised to see the door already open with the sound of Cybertronian language. Sunstreaker didn't react as he drove in, but my eyes went wide at the sight of Sideswipe and Wheeljack arguing in Cybertronian. Their language always seemed sharp and harsh to me, but it was even more so now and the way they stood toe to toe made me think they were going to suddenly start fighting.

"Sunstreaker." I said in panic.

The door opened and his holoform was suddenly by my side pulling me out. Wheeljack said one last thing, his fins flashing brightly, before he came over and knelt down, "Are you alright, Aj?"

"I'm fine, Jackie. What's wrong?" I questioned as he carefully took me from Sunstreaker. His battle mask his a lot of his features and emotions, but his eyes looked frustrated and angry.

Sunstreaker transformed, "We'll be back. Come on, Sides."

Sideswipe's gaze softened slightly before he nodded at me and left with his brother. Wheeljack didn't say anything as he carried me over to his workbench and carefully placed me in a clear area, "Please don't stand. If you want to move let me know first."

He didn't wait for me to reply and instead walked away to gather supplies. I cleared my throat, "Jackie?"

Wheeljack came back and tilted his head at me, "Hmm, I don't want to risk doing this at this size. I have to remove the brace." He transformed down to the floor where I could no longer see him, but his holoform appeared by my side. Wheeljack kept some human sized tools on the workbench to use on the kids, and now apparently me, and it took him only a moment to grab them.

When he came back and knelt down by my side I could see the anger on his holoform's face. It took me a minute to recognize it because I had never seen Wheeljack look so upset. Hell, I don't think I've ever seen Wheeljack look angry about anything.

"Wheeljack…" I said softly.

"I'm sorry." He snapped and though I could tell his anger wasn't directed toward me his glare didn't lessen, "I have no idea what malfunctioned and I probably won't until after I look it over."

I lifted my hand and placed it on his shoulder, "Wheeljack, I'm fine. Nothing happened, but…but why were you and Sideswipe fighting?"

Wheeljack dropped his head and heaved a sigh, "He was upset about what happened. I'm sorry you had to see that from both of us. We both lost our tempers."

"Because of my brace?" I questioned in confusion.

"Hmm." Wheeljack hummed as he used his hands to feel spots on the brace a lot like Sunstreaker had done earlier.

"I've seen Sides lose his temper before, but never you Wheeljack." I pressed, "Are you ok?"

Wheeljack let his hands drop as he paused in thought. He scoffed lightly and gave me a firm smile, "I'm a good engineer, Aj." My eyes narrowed in confusion. Why would he say something I already knew? "I was top of my class in Cybertron and I was sought after by many…companies, before the war."

"Jackie, you built a portal into a different time and universe with scraps from my garage." I shook my head, "I'm _fully_ aware of how good of an engineer you are."

"Some of my work, my inventions, _do_ tend to explode." He said firmly, "Admittedly, I get overexcited sometimes, but I also get impossible deadlines. When you spend a joor wiring something that should take at least half a vorn, of course it will glitch." To be honest, I couldn't remember how long a joor was, but the saying still made sense. I understood what he meant. The anger faded and was replaced with this serious look of sadness. "But when it comes to… I wouldn't- I wouldn't ever, _ever_ put you or the younglings at risk."

My eyes widened at the sudden turn this took, "Of course not. I know that. What the hell did Sideswipe say to you?"

"He was just upset that the brace put you in harm's way. He… He made a joke and it just got out of control." Wheeljack stood and took a few steps away to where his tools were. Sideswipe must have made a jab at the whole 'explosion' thing. It was a common joke to make around Wheeljack and he usually took it well. Since this one must have been about me though…

"I'll beat the shit out of him if you want." I offered.

Wheeljack let out a soft laugh and turned back around with an amused smile, "I shouldn't have gotten so upset at him."

I shook my head, "He shouldn't have said anything like that,"

It was silent for a brief moment as his smile slid away, "As long as you know that I would never put you or the younglings at risk. If there were any risk of-of anything, an explosion or anything of the sort… I would never-"

"Wheeljack." I pushed myself off the ground to stand and Wheeljack rushed over just in case the brace malfunctioned again. I put my hands on his shoulders, despite the fact that he was taller than me now, and smiled, "Everyone knows that. Even Sides. He just wasn't thinking."

Wheeljack nodded and set one of his hands on top of mine while it was still on his shoulder, "I just owe you so much, Aj. I want to do everything in my power to fix this, but it's proving to be difficult."

"You don't owe me anything, Jackie." I argued. "And I know you're doing your best."

The mech gave me another firm smile before going to work on my brace. He quickly explained that the entire thing was going to come off before beginning to use some sort of electrical saw. The tool itself was loud and a bit terrifying looking, but I was far from concerned. The last conversation alone was proof that I was in good hands.


	8. Chapter 8

_A/N: It says chapter 8, but if you wanna get technical it's actually the rest of chapter 7 lol. Thanks so much for all the great feedback guys, it means a bunch. Please keep it up! The newest TF movie was amazing (IMO) and Lennox was back in it which was the beeeeeesssssst. Send me messages and we can talk about it or anything, kay? Kay._

 _ALSO ALSO ALSO, I had like the greatest idea guys. Will those of you who write do it for me? Pretty please? Like, write a drabble or oneshot about your fav character related to this story! We did it before with Small Fry and I wanna do it again now! I just figured it be fun to see y'all write about grown up Tyler, Taylor, and Peter. Plus, all the new characters I've slowly been introducing._

 _I'm gonna write a oneshot too (TF of course) but it won't be related to this story. So keep an eye out for that y'all! Thanks peeps, you the best._

* * *

Chapter Eight:

Guilt Trip

* * *

 _"You wear guilt like shackles, like a halo in reverse." –Depeche Mode_

* * *

A laugh bubbled from my lips in amusement and mingled with the deeper sound of Wheeljack laughing. The mech had successfully lightened my sour mood. As he got closer and closer to taking my brace off the more gloomy I had gotten. I had really gotten used to walking around again and now I was going to be back on crutches. Wheeljack had noticed this and somehow managed to make me feel better. Even with my now useless brace sitting on the lab bench off to the side.

"As much as I would love to have you, I don't think that would be the greatest of ideas, Aj." Wheeljack chuckled. His holoform vanished and his bipedal rose up from the floor. "Here allow me."

Wheeljack reached forward and carefully scooped me up and then set me on the floor. As that occurred, the lab doors opened and Ratchet breezed in. The mech glanced at both of us, "I could hear you two laughing from down the hall."

"We were talking about me getting a job." I replied with a knowing smirk.

Ratchet chuckled, " _That_ is an amusing concept."

"I said I wanted to work _here_ in the lab as Jackie's assistant."

Ratchet's slight smile immediately fell, "No. Don't you cause me enough _stress_ as is?"

Wheeljack and I laughed again. The whole joke had been about the cow Ratchet would have at the thought of me working side by side in Wheeljack's lab. Needless to say, we had both accurately predicted Ratchet's reaction.

"Did you bring my crutches?"

Ratchet bent down by me with hands outstretched. I reached forward to receive my crutches only to be caught off guard when Ratchet scooped me up into his hands and brought me to his chest.

"Whoa, hey. You can't just go grabbing people off the floor, Ratchet."

"To quote one particularly _annoying_ youngling, I just didn't want you around my feet like a ' _yapping ankle biter'_." He replied before walking me out of the room. I narrowed my eyes at him and didn't offer a response. I was too impressed he remembered that comment I made ages ago.

"So are you sure your knee is doing alright?"

I nodded and readjusted my leg, it was propped up on the chair beside me, "It's fine, really, Bee."

Bumblebee's holoform pushed off the back of his chair to lean against the table with his arms. His lips twisted in a pout of worry, "I can take you to the medbay to rest if you need it."

"That is the _last_ thing I want or need." I argued and let out a sigh. The twins had gotten pulled aside on an unexpected shift, Jazz was debriefing with Prowl who had just gotten back an hour ago, and the other bots were scrambling around working on various things. It seemed like something was happening that I wasn't privy too, but I wasn't overly concerned. None of the soldiers were up in arms. The only mech who wasn't working was Bumblebee so he had been assigned as my current babysitter. It was good to catch up with the mech though so I didn't argue against it much. "So we talked about how you've been, you wanna talk about your last mission?"

Bumblebee's eyes widened slightly, "The one with Jazz and I?" I nodded and he rubbed the back of his neck absentmindedly, "There isn't much to discuss. We were just monitoring the activities of one of the hives."

"Right." I mumbled, "That's where the drones are, huh?"

"The report said you had a run in with Stinger." Bumblebee said. His lips turned down in a sneer at the mention of the drone's codename. "I hate that scrap of a drone."

I couldn't help but chuckle, "I can't imagine why." Bumblebee stuck his lower lip out in a mock pout and I grinned, "You're way more badass than that piece of shit wanna be Cybertronian."

Bumblebee's face broke out in wide smile as he relaxed in his chair again. He casually draped his arm across the back of my chair. The mech's holoform's eyes darted across the room as someone approached.

"Aj, I heard you were back on the crutches. You good?" Joey came over and sat down. Bumblebee gave him a wary glance, his eyebrows furrowed slightly.

I nodded at the Italian man, "I'm good, Moretti. What's going on around base?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing?" I raised an eyebrow at him.

He lifted his hands in mock surrender, "Really, I got no answers for you, wifey."

Bumblebee's wariness turned to confusion. He leaned over a whispered, "Did he call you _wifey_?"

"Ignore him." I replied to Bumblebee with a roll of my eyes. "He suffers from some sort of brain trauma."

"Ah, there's that humor I love." Joey grinned and looked over at Bumblebee, "And hey, it's good to see you back, Bee. We missed you around here!"

Bumblebee smiled at him, "Thanks, I'm glad the mission is over too."

The three of us casually talked about basically nothing. It was the epitome of small talk. Peter was the one to break up the small talk as he waltzed in the room wearing his business casual work clothes.

"Pete!" I greeted happily. Out of all the kids, it seemed like Peter was the busiest of them. He was always in meetings doing something or another and I rarely got to sit down and hang out with him. "I heard Prowl got back so does that mean…?"

Peter sat down across from Bumblebee and I, next to Joey, with a nod, "Delilah and Amy are home safe and sound, and…" He paused as his smile grew, "You'll get to meet them this weekend."

I immediately sat up from my slouched position with wide eyes, " _Seriously_!?"

"Since Jazz and Bee are finally back, we've decided to have your ' _welcome home_ ' party."

My heart warmed at his words and I was certain I had a goofy smile on my face, "Welcome home party?"

"We've been planning it since you got here. We're gonna have a barbecue at the big house in Vegas." Peter explained, "You're invited too, Joey."

"Hell yeah!" Joey pumped his fist in excitement, "Monique is cooking, right?"

"Of course." Peter scoffed.

I chuckled, "She a good cook or something?"

Joey leaned across the table and shook his head, "Listen, I would go head to head with _Megatron_ himself for just a _taste_ of Monique's barbecue chicken. It's to die for."

"Awesome. You bringing any Italian cuisine for me, Moretti?" I tilted my head with a smirk.

Joey faltered, "Uh, well…you see- hey, _hey_! Who all is coming, huh?"

He had turned the conversation to Peter again at my words. Peter chuckled, "The usual."

Bumblebee leaned toward me, "The younglings, the Lennox's, the Witwicky's, the Epps family of course…um, I'm not sure on which Autobots will get to go yet. It depends on who has to stay behind to hold up the base."

"A few other soldiers I don't think you've met yet come too." Peter added, "I know Hemi Kang is coming, you know Joey, and I think a few others maybe."

Joey snapped his fingers, "Your mom used to come anytime we had these get togethers before. Sometimes."

I blinked in confusion, "I'm sorry, what?"

"Your mom." Joey repeated. "She wasn't a huge fan of our parties though. You probably could've guessed that."

For a moment, I thought Joey was just mixing me up with someone else, but when I glanced over at Peter and Bumblebee I knew that couldn't be it. Both of them were staring at each other with a deer caught in the headlight look. Joey wasn't the one lost in this conversation. I was.

"My mom." I repeated. "My _mom_?"

Peter cleared his throat, "I totally forgot. Ratchet needed to see Aj. We should get going."

Joey slowly stood up. His eyes darted back and forth between all of us before nodding. He could tell something was off. I could see it on his face. He shrugged, "Sure. See you guys later."

As soon as he was out of earshot I opened my mouth only to be cut off by Bumblebee, "I commed Ratchet and…well, everyone else too. We need to head to his medbay. The downstairs one."

"Damn right we do." I struggled to get up and I only let Bumblebee help me when I almost tumbled over to the ground. "It's time we have a family meeting."

* * *

Ratchet had his entire downstairs medbay lit up. Usually only a few lights were on, but right now the entire room was painfully bright. His medbay was also filled to the brim. Ratchet himself stood outside his office with his arms crossed, Bumblebee and Bluestreak were both leaning against the same berth, Sideswipe was sitting on the berth beside theirs with Sunstreaker casually leaning against the corner of it, Prowl and Jazz stood side by side closer to the door leading out to the hall, Wheeljack was fidgeting in place not far from where Ratchet was, and Optimus stood directly in front of the berth I sat on. That's how the room was split. All the mechs stood on one said of the medbay, the path between the lines of berths separated us, and the humans stood on the other side.

I was sitting in a chair with my leg up. The humans with me on the same berth were Aubrey, Tyler, Taylor, Peter, and Lennox. All of them stood in front of me with their backs to the mechs. This made the separation seem even more severe. It was me going head to head with all of them.

"Well now that the whole party is here, should we get started?" I threw aside the crutches I had still been holding and crossed my arms. "Now where to start? Wow, this is a tough decision."

"Aimee-" Aubrey sighed.

"Oh, I know!" I interrupted, "How about the whole _mom_ thing? What the _fuck_ is up with that?"

Lennox stepped forward, setting his hand on Aubrey's shoulder, "Maybe I should start, Aj."

" _You_ should start? _You should start_?" I laughed bitterly. There was a frustration building in my gut, threatening to boil over. "Why the _hell_ are you even _here_ , dude?" Lennox pursed his lips and I briefly felt bad for snapping at him. I wasn't angry at Lennox. Much. Granted, I was a little pissed at him, I was a little pissed at the world, but compared to the others in the room he was pretty low on my shit list. "And why in the world does Lennox think he owes me an explanation?"

Optimus stepped forward and knelt down in front of the berth. The kids took a step back, as did Lennox and Aubrey, so no one stood in front of my line of vision of him.

"Aj, our intention wasn't to cause you distress." Prime's deep voice tried to reassure me. This was the first time I've talked to Optimus in nearly two weeks. He was a busy guy, but apparently not busy enough to stay away from secrets.

"Why does Joey think he knows my mom?" I asked with steel in my voice.

"He doesn't know your mother. He knew Dr. Aimee Jane Bradshaw." I heard Optimus' voice, but there was no way I heard what he said correctly. It didn't make sense. My eyebrows furrowed as I tried to understand what exactly they were getting at, but the dots weren't connecting. "Wheeljack?"

"Right, Prime." Wheeljack stepped forward, but Optimus remained kneeling. Wheeljack's fins lit up as he began to elaborate, "There is no easy way to put this and though it may alarm you we-"

" _Oh my God_." I blurted as the connection hit me hard, "Is there-? Is there another _me_? Does this universe have another version of us?"

Wheeljack's head tilted slightly and he let out a hum, "Maybe there _is_ an easy way to put this."

"There was a version of all of us in this universe." Aubrey spoke up. Her arms were crossed tightly in a way that made her look like she was trying to hold herself together. The worry on her face made my own anger falter. "We found out when the mechs got involved with the military. They tried to run a background check on us and found…well… _us_."

Another version of us existed in this universe. Another Aubrey. Another Tyler, Taylor, and Peter. Another me. Oh God, as if _one_ of me wasn't enough.

"Wh-Where are they?"

"The Williams family was located in Alabama for an extended period of time, but they moved up to Chicago in 2020." Lennox answered.

I shook my head, "Wait, Chicago? Why would they go to Chicago and- and…." My words slowed as another realization came to me, "There was an attack there. In Chicago, right?"

Lennox nodded, "They did not survive the 2024 attack of Chicago."

My hand shot up to cover my mouth and I could feel my shoulders slump. It hadn't been _my_ kids, _my_ sister, _my_ family, but the thought of any version of them… the thought of… I closed my eyes and tried to get rid of the sick feeling that washed over me.

"This universe's version of you invited them to live in Chicago with her. She was doing well, working as a resident in one of the local hospitals there." Lennox continued.

I opened my eyes, "You said…She's a _doctor_?" There were too many gaps in the story for me to wrap my head around it like I wanted to. I took a shaky breath and motioned toward them, "I want to know from the beginning. If Joey knew her then you guys did too. How did you meet her? Did you meet the others too?"

"I found 'er." Jazz spoke up for the first time since we entered. Gazes shot over to him as he continued, "Sweetspark, you gotta understand…this universe's version of you was followin' the same life. I couldn' save you so I thought... I tried to save 'er."

Sunstreaker scoffed, "He gave her money."

"I got Boss locked up and I made sure she had an option _other_ than fightin'." Jazz shot back, his gaze focused on the frontliner, "I didn't want 'er out there fightin'."

Sideswipe shrugged nonchalantly, "The real Aj didn't do what you wanted so you tried to get a new one. We get it."

Four things happened then. Ratchet cursed, Optimus hung his head in defeat, Bumblebee and Bluestreak tensed, and Jazz lunged across the room.

Sunstreaker rose to his full height with his shoulders back, but Prowl managed to get a hold of Jazz before an actual fight ensued. That didn't stop Jazz from barking at the twins in Cybertronian and the twins barked right back. Optimus snapped his head to the side, yelling out an order, and the chaos immediately stopped.

There was a tense silence before Jazz snapped his gaze to me, "She wasn't a replacement. The two of you were as different as night and day. You-"

"I know." I said quickly. "From what I've heard so far, I'm sure."

"How?" Prowl questioned.

Now all eyes were on me and I suddenly wish I hadn't said anything at all. The gazes didn't wander so I let out a sigh and rolled my shoulders, "I don't think y'all know how much I _owe_ you." I tried to put myself in the shoes of the other me, and it wasn't very hard. What would I have done if some stranger had locked up Boss and offered me tons of money? "I am who I am today because I reconnected with Aubrey. Because I met the kids and I made amends with Wes. All of that brought me back to some resemblance of who I used to be before I really lost myself. When I got that letter from Aubrey asking me to come visit…"

My gaze fell as I relived the moment I pulled that crisp letter out of my beat up mailbox. It had been tucked between two bills and one pointless flyer. She had been smart enough to leave the envelope unnamed so I had to open it up first to figure out who it was from. I could still picture myself in that moment.

"I was in a dark place. If I had gotten that letter six months earlier I would've tossed it in the trash without a second thought. I was… I wasn't suicidal, I swear." I laced my fingers together pushed my right thumb against my left palm as hard as I could. "I didn't _want_ to die, but I was…I was _careless_. I was careless in fights, in life, and…. I didn't want to die, but I didn't care what happened to me." I finally lifted my gaze to see a collection of saddened, pained looks staring back at me. I offered them a tight smile, "Y'all fixed that. You fixed _me_. Through trial and error, a hell of a lot of it too, I figured out that I wasn't as broken as I thought I was. That's why I'm the cheery asshole you know and love today."

That lessened the solemn mood that had filled the room at my words. Taylor quickly crossed the berth to lean over and wrap me in a tight hug. I chuckled and pat her back lightly.

"This world's you?" Ratchet pressed.

I nodded and Taylor pulled away, but lingered by my side, "In her darkest moment, you gave her a way out." I glanced over at Jazz, "Even if she still had gotten a letter from Aubrey, she would've picked the option you gave her over them. As much as I hate to admit it, I chose to go to Alabama because it was the only choice I had."

"She didn' get in contact with 'em until after medical school." Jazz mumbled.

"You saved her life, Jazz. Of that, I have no doubt." I said sincerely, "But she never learned her lesson. She's what I would be without y'all."

Tyler cleared his throat, "Well, was."

"Was?" I raised an eyebrow. There was a beat before it hit me and my jaw fell limp, "Was?! I'm dead too?!"

Bluestreak shook his head, "She's dead, but I'm not sure any of us like you referring to it that way because _you're_ not dead, thank _Primus_."

"Did Doctor me die in Chicago too?"

Optimus answered me, "She came to work with us on base as a doctor after Chicago. We lost her a little over a year ago in a drone attack."

"Damn. That blows." I replied. There was a pause of silence before my original questions came flooding back alongside my annoyance, "Let's get back to the whole mom thing. Why the hell does Joey think this world's version of me is my mother?"

Prowl stepped forward, "The truth of the portals remains a secret to a large number of soldiers and officials. We couldn't tell them the truth of your origin or that you are actually a different version of Dr. Bradshaw. So instead we stated that you were her daughter and that you came to live with your aunt."

At the word aunt, Prowl motioned toward Aubrey who smiled slightly and offered me a little wave. How messed up was that? According to official government files, I was a cousin to my niece and nephews and the niece of my sister. Like, what the fuck?

"And is there a reason why I didn't know about this until _now_?"

"We thought it would be easier-" Ratchet began.

I scoffed, "Oh, I get it. It was for my own good? My own good right?" Optimus frowned and I continued, "It makes sense now. The fact that y'all were always clearing the rooms I was in and making me avoid other soldiers. The looks I got! The looks I got from other soldiers! God, I can't believe you did this! Again!" I pointed at Optimus, "We've been here before. We talked about this. Optimus Prime, you _promised_ me this wouldn't happen again."

There was regret in Optimus' eyes, "I am sorry, Aj. This shouldn't have happened. You are always nothing but honest with us and we should be the same."

I opened my mouth to only falter. Have I been only honest with them? There was one big secret I hadn't mentioned to anyone yet. One that could potentially be pretty important. The whole mysterious assholes that sent me here. That was something they might want to be aware of. I cleared my throat, "Well, maybe I shouldn't be so hard on y'all. What with your- with your _good intentions_ and all."

"I gave you my word, and I sincerely apologize for not sticking to it." Optimus said with a sigh. There was so much sincerity and regret in his voice. Now I was starting to feel like the asshole.

"Let's just- I think we should let it go. Forget about it."

"You have to keep pretending, Aj." Lennox stepped forward again, "No one can know that you are who you are. We worked a deal with the government about Aubrey, Wes, and the kids. They're clear, mostly, but if they were to find out you came through the portal too we'd be in a world of hurt."

Peter added more, "There's this liaison coming soon. It'll actually be the day before your birthday."

"Happy birthday to me." I mumbled.

He continued, "He's the main person we need to keep this from."

"Yeah, 'cause he's a huge dick." Tyler crossed his arms and the annoyance was clear on his face. It matched the rest of the room too. Apparently no one liked this liaison guy. Had he been in the only Transformers movie I watched? I only remembered a few things from it now and he wasn't one of them. It still scared me a little how quickly some of those memories were fading. Granted, it wasn't like they were overly important, but losing memories period can cause a bit of alarm.

"Pretend to be my own mother. Got it." I nodded, "For reference, what was she like?"

Lennox cleared his throat, "She was... difficult at times. Very professional. Kind of…solemn."

"She was a total bitch." Sideswipe called out. Ratchet threw something at him, it looked like a screw, and the piece of metal bounced off the red mech's head, "Ow! It's true!"

I chuckled and sunk down in my seat. Aubrey took this as a sign that I was still annoyed and walked toward me, "Aimee, we swear that's it. No more secrets between all of us. We're so sorry."

"It's ok. I forgive y'all." I gave them a small smile as the guilt in my stomach grew. There was still one secret between us, but it was the kind I wasn't sure I ever wanted in the open.

* * *

There was nothing Annabelle loved more than the feeling of the sunlight kissing her skin. It's one of the many reasons why she loved living in Nevada. The sunny days were endless and she had the opportunity to spend most of the year out and about.

She tapped her bare feet together happily and leaned back against the hot glass she sat on. The shiny, black metal she sat on should've been burning her bare thighs and calves, but miraculously the metal stayed cool enough to sit on. It probably had something to do with the fact that she was best friends with said black metal and he knew how much she loved sitting on his hood.

"Ironhide, how far out are they?"

"About thirty minutes." He answered gruffly. Annabelle moved her sunglasses from the top of her head to her eyes then opened them to find her guardian's holoform leaning against the side of the hood with his arms crossed, "Smokescreen is speeding though so he'll probably be here sooner. The glitch."

Annabelle chuckled, "I'm so excited for Monique to meet Aj! Plus, I'll be out of school next week and I'll get to be on base all the time. Do you think Aj will wanna go on vacation with me?"

Ironhide turn to look at her with skepticism, "Vacation? To where, sparkling?"

"I don't know." Annabelle paused in thought. Where could they go? The Autobots always took her, Lex, and Eli to a fun place over the summer. Maybe Aj would want to go with them this year. Taylor and Tyler stopped going with them a while back because they got busy with their jobs, but maybe they could go too. Disneyland would be fun or… "Oh! I want to go to Universal Studios! The one in Florida!"

Ironhide scoffed and shook his head, "There is suspected drone activity in Florida. You will not visit that state."

Annabelle smirked to herself, but didn't argue. It would be pointless. Ironhide always won those. She pushed off the glass and wrapped her arms around Ironhide's neck while resting her own head on his shoulder, "You like Aj, don't you Hide?" He grunted in response and she jut her lip out in a pout, "Ironhide, come on."

"I think she's a bad influence."

She couldn't help but chuckle, "She's a good person. I can tell, and everyone at base who knows her adores her. That's a sign right?"

"I think she's trouble."

"Trouble can be fun." Annabelle replied.

Ironhide scoffed at her again, but didn't comment. The front door to the house opened and they both looked over to see Eli standing at the door. He wore swim shorts and a plain tank top, "Hey AB, my mom needs help in the kitchen and she asked me to come get you. Apparently, I'm not good enough."

"That's because you suck at cooking, E." Annabelle giggled and shifted to the side of the hood. Ironhide instinctively knew where this was going and grabbed her legs piggy back style. He didn't hesitate to carry her toward the house, "You've burned cereal before."

Eli smiled briefly before putting on a look of mock hurt, "That was one time and one time alone."

* * *

Seeing Aubrey's house for the first in Alabama had been impressive as hell, but the house sitting at the end of the driveway from me was gorgeous. It was the kind of house you saw in magazines for crying out loud. It was the kind with a long ass, sprawling stone driveway and a fancy garden out front.

It seemed like everyone else had already beaten us there, but that wasn't surprising. Jazz had driven like a damn grandpa. It had given us a good time to catch up though. Plus, it delayed the inevitable which was me walking into that beautiful house.

"You ready, sweetspark?" Jazz's holoform questioned from the driver's seat.

"Um. No." I mumbled and stared out the window. The driveway was filled with mechs. Bumblebee, Smokescreen, Ironhide, the twins, and Hound were here, but the other Autobots had to stay at base for security reasons. There was also a normal jeep parked on the side of the road that a few soldiers probably came in.

There was a hand on my shoulder that made me glance over to see Jazz's worry, "No?"

"I'm just… Pete texted me. Apparently, Hound went and picked up Delilah and Amy and since he's parked right there that means…"

"They're 'ere." Jazz finished, "I thought you wanted to meet 'em."

I sighed and leaned back in his seat, "Of course I do, but I have _never_ been good at first impressions."

Jazz shook his head, "What are you talkin' 'bout?"

I rolled my eyes and stared at him for a moment. When his look of confusion didn't disappear I scoffed, "Oh please. What if they meet me and don't like me? What will I do?"

"Don't be crazy, girl." Jazz chuckled, "They're gonna love ya."

"You don't know that. You don't know how many first introductions I've messed up." I replied thinking back of my days in New York. Sure, I avoided relationships to avoid pain, but the few ones I did manage to have were with people who could get past my lousy first impression.

Jazz held up a hand with one finger, the universal wait sign, before physically opening the driver's door and getting out. Considering we were in a neighborhood with civilians he couldn't just pop over to my side. They weren't a secret, but being discreet was still key. He opened the door and knelt down so we were face to face.

"I think you're crazy."

"Well thanks."

Jazz chuckled, "I think you're crazy 'cause my first impression of you was nothin' but amazin'."

I scrunched my eyebrows together in confusion, "The first time we met I thought I was insane. I crushed Starscream with a baseball bat and-"

"You impressed the _pit_ outta me." Jazz interrupted. "All I saw was a femme who cared for her younglings. Someone, who in the face of insanity, stepped up and bravely handled the situation. You're a keeper, sweetspark, and Delilah and Amy are gonna love you."

I twisted my lips and shrugged, "That was some pep-talk."

Jazz quickly grabbed my crutches from the backseat and helped me out of my seat. I let out an unhappy sigh and made my way across the yard with Jazz hovering beside me. He walked with one hand hovering over my lower back in case I went sprawling.

As I walked past Bumblebee, who was parked closest to the door, his radio suddenly went off and a part of a song blasted through his open windows, " _Hello beautiful, it's been a long time._ "

"That's because Jazz drove like an old grandpa." I replied.

"Hey now." Jazz argued.

The front door opened and I recognized Hound's holoform. He was a large man in both height and size and had a thick, full beard and matching head of long hair that was tied back in a bun. He grinned broadly at the sight of me, "It's about damn time. We were starting to think Jazz man got lost."

"Hi Hound." I returned his bright smile. He helped me up the few steps connected to the porch and into the house. The door led into a small, open foyer area that was connected directly to the large living room where a set of couches sat opposite of a large fireplace.

Sideswipe was sitting on the couch with Tyler and an Asian woman I didn't recognize. There was more noise coming from the kitchen so I assumed the bulk of the party was in there. As if on cue, Aubrey came waltzing out of an open doorway with a laugh lingering on her lips, "Aimee! You're finally here!"

"Took you long enough." Tyler called out.

The woman beside him laughed, "You got a wrench in your engine, Jazz?"

"Sometimes you just gotta enjoy the ride." Jazz shrugged and walked into the kitchen area.

Sideswipe got up and motioned behind him, "Have you met Kang?"

"No, I haven't. Hi, I'm Aj." I waved with a small smile.

The woman raised the beer in her hand, "I'm Hemi Kang. Nice to finally meet you. You're kinda famous around base, you know."

"Oh I do. It blows." I replied and she laughed.

Aubrey set her hand on my shoulder, "Come here."

With a nod, I limped after Aubrey who led me to the back where a sliding screen door led out into the backyard. There was a patio table where Taylor was sitting next to Smokescreen's holoform talking. Lennox and Epps were grilling off to the side and both of them wore casual clothes which as weird as hell to see. I kind of thought Lennox lived and slept in his military uniform.

The backyard also had a giant pool complete with a slide and small waterfall. The government really spared no expenses when it came to financing this place. In the pool were many familiar faces. Annabelle was lounging on a floating pool chair in a floral patterned bikini. Eli and Lex looked like they were racing across the pool with Bumblebee's holoform. Sunstreaker laid out on a lounge chair in red swim shorts with his hands behind his head and a pair of sunglasses on.

My eyes landed on my eldest nephew though. He wore his bathing suit and stood in the shallow end of the pool by a woman who sat on the edge in a sun hat with her legs in the water. In Peter's arm was a little girl wearing floaties and goggles on her head. She kept trying to lean over and grab the water.

"I'm gonna have a fucking aneurysm." I muttered under my breath. "I'm too sober for this."

"Would you rather meet them after a few drinks?" Aubrey asked skeptically.

I paused in thought before shaking my head, "Yeah, no. That's a bad idea. Let's go."

Aubrey waved her hand forward and I sighed in annoyance. I said a quick hello to Taylor and Smokescreen before moving toward the pool. The first person to notice me was Annabelle who threw her arms up without spilling the cup in her hand, "Aj!"

"Hey, Ann." I replied and my eyes darted to Peter and his family who were now looking at me. The little girl was still too preoccupied with catching water to care about my presence.

Delilah quickly stood and adjusted the short, gym shorts she wore and the large straw hat over her eyes. She came over with a cute smile, "Hi, my name is Delilah."

"Uh hey there." I grinned and offered her my hand, which she shook, "So you married that dork huh?"

"Hey." Peter called back while walking out of the pool to meet us.

Delilah shrugged, "What can I say? He's my favorite dork."

Peter stood by her side and bounced his daughter in his arms, "Hey Amy, can you say hello? This is Aj."

"Hi." She gave me a small wave before burying the side of her head onto her father's shoulder. She pointed to me, "What are those?"

I lifted the crutches slightly, "These are called crutches. They help me walk because I hurt my leg."

"Is that a band-aid?" She pointed to my human made knee brace, "I have a band-aid. See."

Amy pulled up the sleeve of her swim shirt to show me a waterproof band-aid on her elbow. I chuckled, "Kind of."

"Can you swim? I can swim."

"If I go swimming I think Ratchet would ki- um, yell at me."

Amy smiled brightly, "I _love_ Dr. Rat."

My eyes widened slightly as a smile formed on my lips, "Dr. Rat?"

Peter chuckled, "She has trouble with his name sometimes."

"Oh my God that's so cute." I cooed and shook my head, "Plus, I'm never calling him Ratchet again now."

"Down down down." Amy squirmed in Peter's arm. He set her down and she immediately raced toward the edge of the pool. Even with her floaties on, I panicked at the sight and began to reach for her. She jumped, but before her feet hit the water Bumblebee was already there to catch her before her head went under. She laughed and cupped his face with her hands, "Bee bee! I love Bee bee."

"Aw, I love you too, Amy." Bumblebee laughed between squished cheeks.

"Slide!" She yelled and Bumblebee swam away with her.

Delilah chuckled, "She loves water. It's kind of scary how much she loves it. I mean, she has _no_ fear."

"Kind of like someone else I know." Peter smirked at me. I raised an eyebrow at him skeptically, but said nothing.

Delilah pointed at me, "Have you met Monique yet?"

"Uh no. I haven't." I shrugged.

"Well come on then." She motioned for me to walk with her.

I nodded and followed her to a pair of double doors over by the grill. Lennox and Epps were lightly arguing about something between laughs. Epps glanced over at me, "Aj, nice to see you here!"

"Good to be here. Your base is pretty Lennox, but I was going stir crazy. A few more days and I might've burned it down."

Lennox laughed surprisingly and nodded, "It can be rough if you're not used to that kind of life."

"Hey", Epps pointed at us, "Before you go in, settle a debate for us."

Delilah shrugged, "What is it?"

Epps smirked, "What's worse, being stranded in a desert with no food or water and no escape in sight or listening to Ratchet rant about the dangers of processed junk food?"

"As much as I love Ratchet, he can rant for a little _too_ long." Delilah said nicely.

Lennox motioned toward me with his spatula. I scoffed, "Put me in the fucking desert. Pit, put me on the fucking moon."

Epps and Lennox roared in laughter and Delilah led me into the kitchen. Aubrey was tossing a salad off to the side with a pretty, dark skinned woman. Wheeljack was leaning against the counter toying with a toaster for some reason while Hound held a tray that Monique was putting slowly putting uncooked kebabs onto. Joey was also in the kitchen drinking a beer next to Jazz and Ironhide's holoform.

Monique, I assumed, glanced over her shoulder and smiled, "Oh there you are. I've heard so much about you, Aj!"

"Same." I nodded at her.

Joey pointed at me, "Wifey! You wanna drink?"

"Very much, yes." I answered.

Monique came over and gave me a quick hug that was hindered by my stupid crutches. She didn't let that stop her though, "We'll start eating soon. Sam and Mikaela should be here any minute now."

"The wiring in this is all burned out. I can fix it quite easily, Monique." Wheeljack chirped and set down the machine with a smile.

Jazz came over and motioned me toward a large dining table off to the side, "Let's get you sittin'."

"I think I want to sit outside. Soak up the sun before they drag me back to base." I shrugged.

Hemi Kang walked into the kitchen and nodded, "Mind if I join? I can use some sun."

"Sure." I said as Joey came over with my beer. She snatched it from his hand, ignoring his whines, and led me outside. I waved at the people in the kitchen before going. Hemi wore a tank top and shorts and she had an entire sleeve of tattoos on her left arm. It was a collection of geometric shapes, flowers, and bright colors along with words written in Korean. At least, I was pretty positive it was Korean. "I like your tattoos."

She smirked, "Thanks, you got any?"

"I want some, but I never really got around to it. I'm too indecisive."

She nodded toward the chairs where Sunstreaker was still lounging, "Man, those holoforms are something else. You could cut glass with those abs."

"Yeah, he's something else alright." I replied and watched as Sunstreaker's lips twitched up in the corner. That smug ass bastard heard every word and loved it. We walked over, "These seats taken, Sunshine?"

Hemi's eyes widened at my words and they only got wider when Sunstreaker pushed his sunglasses into his hair and sat up. He carefully helped me into my seat before going back to lounging. She shot me a curious glance and I shrugged.

The two of us talked for some time while I sipped on my beer. Beer tasted like shit, but alcohol was alcohol. About twenty minutes had passed before Lex came rushing over in a blue one piece and her hands behind her back. She was dripping wet and wore a mischievous smirk. Hemi pointed at her, "Don't start a war you can't finish, Witwicky."

Lex threw a water balloon at the soldier without hesitation and then took off. Hemi ripped off her wet tank top, leaving her in jean shorts, and then raced after the younger girl with a laugh.

I turned my head and looked at Sunstreaker. My eyes traced the tattoo of his spark spatter with a smile. He pulled his sunglasses off and grinned at me in a way that reminded me of Sideswipe in a way, "Enjoying the view?"

"Meh." I replied and he frowned at me. "Just kidding. You're _very_ pretty, Sunflower."

He rolled his eyes and snatched the glasses out of his hand and put them on my face. Sunstreaker chuckled to himself and shook his head. I watched curiously as he grabbed my crutches and set it under his chair.

"Hi, babe."

I turned my head to see Sideswipe standing at the end of my chair. He had his spark spatter showing as well, but wore yellow swim shorts. I chuckled, "Aw, you guys are matching. Ketchup and Mustard to the end of the line."

Sideswipe smirked at Sunstreaker who nodded, "Alright, I take back what I said. Do your bad idea, glitch."

"What bad idea?" I asked as Sideswipe scooped me out the chair, "What are you doing!?"

"Don't worry, babe. I talked to Jackie about this and he said it's totally fine."

"You were an asshole to Jackie, dickhead." I pointed at him.

He nodded, "I know, but I apologized. We're good now."

I smiled, "What did Jackie say was fine?"

"Your brace. It's _waterproof_."

My eyes widened and I quickly shook my head, "No, no, no. Don't you dare, Sides!"

"Do it!" Annabelle cheered from the pool.

"Can you swim? If you can't feel free to cling to me really, _really_ hard." Sideswipe winked.

" _No_!" I yelled again as he took off for the pool. I wrapped my arms around his neck and held my breath. We were in the air and the new were at the bottom of the pool. The sunglasses had flown off and I opened my eyes when I realized we weren't floating up. Sideswipe was grinning at me impishly. He leaned forward and pressed his lips against my nose before pushing us back up for air.

We breached the surface to cheers from the others in the pool. I shook my head with a laugh and splashed Sideswipe in the face. This was one hell of a welcome home party and it was the kind of life I could easily get used to.

* * *

The welcome home barbecue had been beyond fun. Everyone there was fun, Amy was literally the epitome of cute, and like Joey had said the food had been to die for. I would arm wrestle a drone for more of Monique's cooking.

As fun as it had been though it had to come to an end. I was back on base and the sun had fallen hours and hours ago. In fact, according to my phone it was almost 3 in the morning, but I couldn't sleep. I couldn't close my eyes without guilt eating away at me. I had put it off long enough, but it reared its ugly head again.

So much trust had been given to me. I lectured a room full of people I love about being honest and hiding things only to do exactly what they had done to me.

I stopped in front of the impossibly large door and pulled out my phone to look for a code I hadn't used yet. Still, it was easy enough to find and the moment I pressed it I could hear the slight beep from behind the wall. Quickly, I shoved my phone back into my pocket and thanked the Lord no one had found me yet. This wasn't something I wanted to explain to anyone but the mech behind the door.

At that moment, the door slid open and the mech I was looking for slowly knelt down with a questioning look.

"Aj." Optimus spoke slowly. "Is everything alright? Why are you here?"

I swallowed the lump in my throat and sucked in a sharp breath, "Are you busy, OP? I don't mean to bother you."

"Of course not. What can I help you with?"

"I have something to talk to you about and it's- it's kind of important. I think."

Optimus paused in thought before unfolding his hand before me. I nodded and carefully stepped onto his palm. Once there, I sat down and set my crutches aside as Optimus stared down at me in concern.

His room wasn't much bigger than Sideswipe and Sunstreaker's and was less decorated. He had a berth and a desk and a doorway I assume led to a washroom. He set me on his desk and sat down in his seat, "What is the matter, Aj?"

"I'm a lot of things, OP." I started slowly, "But a hypocrite isn't one of them. At least, not anymore."

"I'm afraid I do not follow."

I sighed, "I don't… I don't know how I got here exactly, but I do- I do have a pretty educated guess."

Optimus looked taken a back for a brief moment before his features steeled, "And that is?"

"I think… I think I made a deal with the devil."


	9. Chapter 9

_A/N: This chapter was so much fun to write. Writing this made me feel like old times. It was fun and amazing and that's why it's a decent length finally. Please please please leave me some lovely reviews. I read them all and the longer they are the more tears of joy I cry!_

* * *

Chapter Nine:

Surprise Attack

* * *

 _"I don't rise from the ashes, I make them. I'm the whole fucking fire." –Erin Van Vuren_

* * *

Coffee wasn't the same in this universe. His true self couldn't drink it here and though his holoform technically could it didn't hold the same taste he had grown used to twenty human years ago. Still, anytime he found himself in this stupid, small shop on the edge of the street in the middle of the city he always ordered the same thing. A small Americano with extra sugar.

He'd order it, sit at the table by the window, and wait.

He's been waiting for days now. That kind of time was nothing to him usually, but the last few days have felt like vorns to him. The front door opened and his optics shot to it. A human female walked in with her mate and youngling. Annoyance flooded through him briefly. Thundercracker would be here eventually. He wasn't the kind of mech to hand out his trust, but the seeker had done much for him.

"Is there anything else I can get you, sir?"

He looked up from his servos to see a familiar human face. She was female and not very old. Her hair was composed of dark, tight curls that hugged her faceplate like a cloud. Her skin was similar to the color of his sweetened coffee and there were darker spots under her wide, bright optics. Freckles they were called.

"No, I am fine. Thank you." He replied with a nod. She smiled again, bit down on her lower lip, then turned and walked away. The server had visited him often during his visits here.

 _::It's happening.::_

The comm startled him. They were supposed to be on radio silence. These comms were no longer safe out in the open.

 _::Thundercracker, where are you?::_ He sent back. If he spoke quickly then maybe they could get something done before any of their enemies caught on.

 _::He's planning an attack. It will occur soon and my cover is blown.::_

This wasn't expected. He thought they had more time to work, but with this new information everything had changed. He quickly rose from his seat and reached into his holoform's pants pocket where a few real human dollars sat.

His optics caught the gaze of the female server and he briefly hesitated before motioning for her to come over. Her smile grew as she said a few words to her coworker behind the counter before hurrying over, "Yes? Is there anything I can do for you?"

She wore the same uniform as the other females. A pale yellow dress with a white apron. The tag on her collar read ' _Alika'_.

"Alika?" He spoke and she nodded once, "You should leave this area."

Her eyebrows furrowed, "What? I'm sorry?"

"This city. Take your family and leave it immediately." He said firmly before turning around and leaving. He didn't stop when she called out to him or questioned him further. He issued his warning. He did what he could.

Now it was time for him to start fighting back.

Megatron was ready to return to the war.

* * *

"Have you told anyone else any of this?"

Optimus' voice had always been deep and resounding, but in this small room filled with mountains of tension it seemed louder and even more profound than usual. The fake window off to the side was letting in minimal fake light and the fluorescent lights above were dimmed. Still, the blue glow from Optimus' eyes made me feel like I was sitting under a spotlight.

"No." I shook my head, "You're the only person I've told. I didn't know… I wasn't sure I even _wanted_ to share this information."

He bobbed his head once and said nothing. It had taken a while for me to actually work up the courage to start talking, and then it took even longer for me to decide what all to say. Finally, I started at the beginning. I started with the hallucination of my fake mom standing over me as I was dying in my kitchen. I told him about the nightmares where she plagued me, the weird ass symbol I've been seeing everywhere, the devil that haunted me, and then I finished with the visit from the two mysterious strangers.

Optimus had looked on and listened closely as I spoke. He never interrupted, he never asked questions, and he didn't give away any emotions on his stoic face. I wasn't sure if any of those things were good or bad. Sure, it allowed me to continue on and get it all out, but my emotions were frayed.

"Op…Optimus?" I said meekly. His shoulders relaxed slightly as he leaned forward to show I had his attention. With a shaky breath I spoke again, "Can you tell me what you're thinking? Anything at all. I'm just…I'm kind of panicking. "

He reached out a hand and set it against my back in comfort. I instinctively leaned against it and marveled at the fact that this small action did put my mind at ease some. It reminded me that I had Optimus Prime on my side, and boy was that a boost of confidence for me.

"I am very glad you told me of this, Aj. It was the right thing to do." He reassured me.

I forced a smile, "I'm glad you think so, but you still haven't told me what you think and..."

Optimus pressed his metal lips together for a moment before speaking, "I believe you if that's what you're implying."

"That's good. That's _great_." I smiled and scratched under the edges of my brace, "Got any ideas on what the fuck is happening to me?"

The Prime didn't offer me any answers immediately. He just let his eyes drift away from me in thought. A minute or so passed before Optimus looked back to me, "There is no easy answer, and though I do have a few theories I need to speak to someone else about this."

My eyes widened and I quickly pushed myself off his desk to stand. Optimus moved his hand closer to help me balance, but I pushed it away, "Optimus Prime you _can't_ tell anyone else!"

"Aj-"

"No, no. _No_!" I replied and buried one hand in my hair, "You can't tell anyone. This _has_ to be a secret! It has to be."

He shook his head, "You should know that no one would ever look down on you for this, Aj. I am honored to hold your trust in this, but I may not be the one with the most knowledge on this."

"Optimus… All of this is _insane_." I said slowly, "A part of me thinks that _I'm_ insane because stuff like this doesn't happen."

"You are _not_ insane." Optimus said firmly. I used my hands to cover my face. The thin, faint scar on my hand from where I sliced my palm open was proof that something had happened in that house, but that experience itself… Was it real? The Defenders idea sounded like something from a bad sci-fi movie. A warm hand gripped the top of mine and slowly pulled it away from my face. Optimus' holoform stood over me wearing a wrinkled white button up shirt and tie, "I swear to you that I will get you answers, and I will do so without telling anyone who I feel doesn't absolutely need to know. I ask that you continue to trust me, Aj, and know that I only have your best interest at spark."

I heaved a sigh and tried to offer him a smile. Optimus wrapped his arms around me in a comforting hug and after a moment I buried my face in his chest and hugged him back. If my trust were to ever be rewarded it'd be from someone like Optimus. He'd get me answers. Somehow.

* * *

The entire city had been basically wiped from the map. Most of downtown was demolished and all that was left of the center of the city was a crater. The attack began around 10:20 in the morning, but by time NEST got all the way out to the far east side of Texas it was too late. The perpetrators were gone and all that was left was rubble and a rocket high body count.

Lennox's jaw clenched in frustration as he watched his soldiers, and other emergency providers, work around the area trying to save those who could be saved. He kicked a brick by his boot and turned to walk away. The evidence they had gathered so far was muddy. Signs pointed to drone activity, but also to Decepticon activity. Had they both been here? Perhaps a battle between the two? It didn't explain why drones were out here to begin with. The closest hive was in Austin, about an hour away, and it was a small one contained to the city itself. It made no sense for the hive to branch out like this. They hadn't done so before.

He caught a quick glance of Bear sprinting across what used to be a store of some kind. A rescue team chased after him as he barked and led them to another survivor. Lennox would never stop being impressed by what that dog could do.

"Lennox, get over here." Epps called out to him over the small comm piece in his ear. He quickly made his way over to where he knew Epps would be. It was the last place he saw him and he seriously doubted the man had finished the job he had been stuck with.

Epps stood off to the side with his arms crossed watching on as Optimus' holoform sat on a small cot next to a young woman. The woman stood out from the scene simply because she was clean with no injuries whatsoever.

"She just got here." Epps stated.

Lennox raised an eyebrow at him, "Here? How'd she get through the barricade we set up?"

"She told the guards she had information and once she was cleared they sent her to us." Epps replied. He pulled his phone out from his pants pocket and accessed the newest file being added, "Her name is Alika Jacobs. She's a college student on break and works…well, _worked_ at a local coffee shop." Epps turned around and pointed to the corner of the street where a building used to be. It was nothing but a pile of bricks now, "It was located right there."

"How the hell did she manage to escape unscathed?" Lennox dragged his eyes back to the woman. She had her hands balled up in fists on her knees and it looked like she had been recently crying.

Epps shook his head, "According to her, she got out of the city about twenty minutes before the attack started."

"Pure luck?" Lennox questioned skeptically.

"Nope. A man told her to get her family and get out of the city." Epps replied. "She said she tried to get her coworkers to leave, but they wouldn't. She got in trouble for it, but got the hell outta dodge anyways."

Lennox nodded toward her, "And her family?"

"Doesn't live in the States. She's here on a student visa."

Lennox watched as Optimus' holoform set a gentle hand on her shoulder as he spoke. The rescue team passed him with a man groaning on the stretcher they carried. Bear trotted over and sat by Lennox's feet. Lennox knelt down and began to scratch the dog around the neck, ignoring the dust and dried blood that was matted in his fur. "You said a man told her to leave? How did he know?"

"She said the guy came every morning for the past four days and ordered the same drink, but he never actually finished the coffee. Just took a sip and tossed it." Epps began. He tucked his phone away and readjusted his hat, "Here's the kicker. The guy she described matches a known _holoform_."

Lennox slowly stood back up and Bear went from sitting to lying down, his tongue hanging out of his mouth onto the ground, "Whose holoform?"

"Megatron." Epps finished.

Confusion washed over the solider as he tried to gather his wits. What the hell was Megatron doing as a holoform in a coffee shop? The last known sighting of him was the battle of Chicago in 2024. Sure, there had been Decepticon attacks since then, but none of them involved Megatron himself and no soldier or Autobot had actually seen the mech with their own eyes yet.

Now all of a sudden he was saving civilians in Texas?

Lennox stiffened when Bear suddenly sat up rim rod straight. The dog's ears twitched back and forth and Bear slowly stood up and turned his head in the opposite direction. Suddenly, he let out a quick bark and took off again into the distance. Lennox whistled for the rescue crew, "Hey! Bear found someone else!"

* * *

Tyler glanced at his watch again. It was 1:20 in the afternoon and the main NEST squadron still hadn't returned from Round Rock, Texas. Some reports had come back already and the incident was already all over the news. They were calling it a Decepticon attack, but most of the reports he had already looked over made him lean toward it being a drone attack. The Decepticon aspect seemed more like a coincidence. A confusing, unlikely one granted, but one none the less. He leaned back in his seat and let his arm rest on the back of Riley's seat as she continued to eat lunch while listening to his sister tell some story. She looked cute today with her blonde bangs braided back and out of her face. Her face lit up anytime Taylor hit a funny point in her story.

"Got room for two more?"

Tyler tore his gaze away from Riley to see Smokescreen and Bluestreak's holoform coming over. Taylor grinned with a nod, "Course, guys."

"What's up, Blue?" Tyler reached out with his other hand to bump fists with his guardian as Smokescreen grabbed the empty seat by Taylor.

"It's been so long since we had lunch like this! And Riley!" Bluestreak sat on the other side of Tyler, "It's so cool to see you again. We should hang out more often."

Tyler readjusted his posture, "You two?"

Riley nodded, "Yeah, Blue and I hung out yesterday since we were both stuck on base."

"Oh." Tyler replied. This was his first time hearing of it. His current girlfriend and guardian hanging out? Usually his girlfriends didn't spend much time with Bluestreak. It wasn't that they had a problem with his guardian, they just didn't put the effort. Tyler's lips quirked up in the corners. He kind of liked it. "That sounds like a good idea."

Taylor's laughed drew his attention back to the table, "Aj's gonna go crazy."

"Crazy?" Tyler questioned.

Smokescreen laughed with a nod, "She's getting her new brace on right now and Jack really upgraded that thing. She's gonna be able to do everything she could before the injury, plus more."

Tyler smirked, "That's _exactly_ what Aj needs."

"I heard Wheeljack planning on eventually putting a jetpack feature in her boots that will allow her to glide to some degree. I mean, he doesn't think putting an actual rocket feature into it would be a good idea, but he's already salvaged one of the anti-gravity features from an old ship." Bluestreak added.

There was a long pause of silence as everyone at the table soaked this information in. Smokescreen lifted a hand in question, "Anti-gravity boots?"

Tyler let out a loud, booming laugh that the others joined in on. Wheeljack was essentially planning to give Aj the technology that would successfully cause Ratchet's metal to go permanently gray. The medic was going to lose his shit and Wheeljack might lose a few limbs. Simply, because the medic was probably going to rip them off.

Taylor's phone began to go off so she pulled it out to read the message. Tyler watched as his sister's face of ease turned to one of shock then confusion. He kept his gaze on her until she glanced up at him. He simply raised an eyebrow at her and she shook her head in return. She couldn't talk about it now.

"I gotta run, guys. Lennox and the squad will be back soon too so you guys will probably get a message too." Taylor shrugged.

"I'll clean up, don't worry about it." Smokescreen brushed her hands away as she tried to scoop up her garbage.

"You're a lifesaver." She gushed before running off. Tyler watched her go with worry. If she had to hurry off like that did that mean an Autobot was injured on the job? The mission was supposed to be non-hostile. The battle zone had supposedly cleared before they got there. He reached over and laced his hands with Riley who shot him a soft smile in return. Regardless of what happened, he'd find out soon enough.

* * *

I laid motionless on top of the metal cot as Wheeljack's holoform worked on hooking my leg up to the newest brace. This one came with same major upgrades. For example, I'd be able to take this one off without completely destroying it. Plus, this one was supposed to be stronger.

Still, as excited as I was for the brace I couldn't help but be distracted. This morning I had my heart to spark with Optimus and then a few hours later some city in Texas was being attacked and a bulk of the base had been whisked away to put out the fires. They still hadn't returned. It was supposed to be safe, but I couldn't help but worry. Accidents happened. Plus, all it took was one mistake.

"There we go." Wheeljack chirped, "Can you sit up for me?"

I pushed myself up and admired the new accessory. It looked very similar to the old one, but Wheeljack had switched out the translucent look for a dark, gunmetal gray. It was perfect.

"Thank you so much, Jackie." I smiled at him, "It's perfect."

He nodded once and his smile falter slightly, "Aj, are you alright?"

I pushed myself off the cot and began to walk around. The brace held perfectly and I felt no pain whatsoever. I turned back to face his holoform, "Yeah, I'm fine. Why?"

Wheeljack's holoform fizzled out of existence as his bipedal mode came back into view. He began to clear up the space around us, "You just seem distant. Is something on your mind?"

There was a lot on my mind, but how much was I willing to share? I trusted Wheeljack just as much as I did Optimus, but for some reason the thought of sharing all my worries with him made me want to vomit. With a shrug, I offered him a small smile, "I think I'm just worried about that attack."

"Right." Wheeljack paused in his motions to look at me directly, "This is the first one you've been here for." I nodded and he softly tapped the top of my head with one of his fingers, "Have no worries, Aj. They'll be back before you know it safe and sound."

"Thanks, Jackie." I crossed my arms and watched as he went back to rearranging his tabletop. Before I realized what I was doing, a question began to tumble from my lips, "Wheeljack, do you believe in the d…" He glanced back over at me, waiting for the question to come out, but I froze up. At last minute, I changed my wording, "Do you believe in God?"

Wheeljack's fins flashed in surprise and he didn't speak for a moment. He just glanced from me to the object in his hands then back to me, "Like Primus?"

"Yeah." I bobbed my head, recognizing the equivalence, "Like Primus."

"That is…a _curious_ question." Wheeljack pulled out one of his stools from the table and sat down. I remained standing in front of him. He rubbed his chest plate before speaking again, "Can I ask why the sudden interest?"

I shrugged, "No idea. It just…hit me and I was wondering. Sorry if it's a personal question."

Wheeljack quickly shook his head, "No, not at all. It just caught me off guard." He leaned against the tabletop slightly and this made it so the difference between our eye levels wasn't too extreme. "For us, every mech and femme _believes_ in Primus. We all have the central belief that our planet was created by Primus millenniums ago. What our race argues about is whether or not Primus is an entity that _still_ exists. Some believe that Primus still exists and plays a role in what occurs in the universe."

"But you don't." I stated. It was easy to tell by the words he chose and the tone he used that he was skeptical of this belief.

"I do not." He shook his head, "If Primus was around and playing an active role in any of our lives, why has our planet suffered so much? Why are we still stuck in this war?" Wheeljack shrugged his shoulders and pushed off the table, "I'm a mech of science and evidence, and I have found no solid evidence to support the claim of a still existing Primus."

I rubbed the back of my neck, "What about the devil? Is there an Cybertronian equivalence to that?"

"Unicron would be the best fit." Wheeljack replied, "But I believe in Unicron less than I do Primus. Science supports that a being created our planet, a being like Primus, but he gave his own life to do so. Unicron was nothing more than a myth. A story to scare sparklings." I let his words bounce around my head. "Do you?"

My eyes focused back on him, "What?"

"Do you believe in…God?"

A small chuckle left my lips. It was a good question, but it was the kind I don't think he'd ever guess my answer. I crossed my arms and nodded, "Yeah, I do." His face, like I predicted, expressed surprise at my words. "Most people don't expect that from me, but I do. It's funny. I bet most people would expect me to be the atheist and Aubrey to be the choir girl, but it's basically the exact opposite."

"Aubrey doesn't believe?" Wheeljack pressed.

"Not at all. Dad-…" My voice faltered slightly, "Our father used to take us sometimes. After mom died though, Aubrey lost faith."

"But you didn't?"

I paused in thought. There had been a time where I would've called myself a nonbeliever, but that was hardly accurate. I had just become angry. I still believed, but all I felt toward Him was hatred. Granny was the one who got me to go back to church a few times, but it never felt right so when I got to New York I didn't bother to go. I believed, but with all the shit I had done it felt like I didn't have the right to anymore.

"Guess not." I shrugged again.

Wheeljack stood up from his seat, "You should talk to Ratchet about this."

"Why?"

Wheeljack's fins glowed and I could tell he was smiling behind his battle mask. He bobbed his head once, "Ratchet does believe in Primus. It's something we debate all the time."

My eyes widened in surprise as Wheeljack stepped away to go back to what he was doing. If I really thought about it, I would've had it pegged completely opposite. In the same way one might label Aubrey as the believer and me as not, I would've labeled Ratchet as the nonbeliever over Wheeljack. Life was funny like that, I guess.

* * *

Peter unhappily ran his hand through his hair. To say he was frustrated was such an understatement. The moment the base got the call about the attack in Texas he knew it was going to be a bad day. He didn't realize today was going to be the day straight from hell itself. It was like the devil had handcrafted today for the sole reason of driving Peter to the brink of insanity.

"Is our team back?" Peter questioned for the third time in the last five minutes. Finally an answer came over the radio stating the team had just landed and were unpacking in hanger four at the moment. "And the unknown artifact?"

"It was unloaded into Ratchet's medbay thirty minutes ago, sir."

"I know I-" Peter heaved a sigh and tried to keep his cool. It wasn't anyone's fault. He picked the radio handheld up, "Put Lennox on."

The radio went silent as Peter waited. He glanced around the conference room while various others scrambled to get a hold of what had happened. There were people managing clean up crews, tracking the progress of figuring out what had truly happened, and trying to handle the public relations side of the incident. Every news channel was broadcasting this attack, but not all of them were blaming the ones they should blame. In any case like this there were always those who tried to pin all the blame on the Autobots. It was exhausting.

"Pete, talk to me." Lennox's voice came over the radio.

Peter walked away from the table, away from the people, to stand over by the double doors. He readjusted his tie with one hand while holding the radio in his other, "What's the latest update on the artifact?"

"Last I heard, Ratchet and Taylor are still working on it. They sent the specs to Perceptor and I think Wheeljack just started working on it about twenty minutes ago."

Peter scrunched his eyebrows up in confusion. Why would Wheeljack have only just started on it? Before he could ask, he remembered that today was the day that Aj was supposed to get her newer brace on. He rubbed at his face, "And they have no news? I'm not getting any info from them up here."

"They got nothing, and the guy is getting agitated." Lennox replied, "I'll let you know as soon as I get a real update. Do you have anything for me?"

"Only bad news." Peter began regretfully. "Johnson sent out the report before I could get my hands on it. He cranked the priority level all the way to the top and it got to Washington maybe ten minutes ago... We can expect someone by the end of the day, if not sooner."

"Fuck." Lennox breathed over the radio, and Peter could agree with his choice of wording. The double doors opened and Prowl's holoform stepped in with a nod. "Keep me updated on that."

"You got it, Lennox." Peter replied before tucking the clip of the radio to his belt. He focused his attention on Prowl who looked the slightest bit worried. Considering the mech was usually good at remaining stone faced, even in holoform, seeing the little bit of worry that showed meant something big. "This is a shitstorm."

Prowl nodded, "I can hardly disagree with you, Peter."

* * *

This brace was nice. Obviously the brace I had before was nice as well, but this one stood out. Every step I took was so smooth and unhindered with no pain or discomfort whatsoever. After leaving Wheeljack's lab, I ran all the way up to the main floor's cafeteria for a snack. I literally ran. In fact, one could say I sprinted all the way up. There were a number of times where the soldiers I breezed by stared at me in worry. It probably wasn't a good idea to run with such alarm on a military base, especially the day of an attack, but I couldn't stop myself. If I could find the gym on my own I'd go work out right now.

These days I always dressed like I was about to work out anyways. Right now I had on another light gray ARMY physical training shirt and shorts. Luckily, I had traded in the baggy men looking shorts for a pair of Taylor's ages ago.

A loud bark made me stop midstride and whip around with a smile. The smile faltered however when Bear came running around the corner looking awful. His tongue hung out of his happily and he seemed as happy as can be, but his entire coat was matted with dried blood, dust, and small debris.

"Bear, buddy." I knelt down and began to pet at his face, "What the hell?"

Bear licked at my face and pushed his head against my chest leaving dirt marks on the gray color. Seconds later Joey came around the corner with a look of panic. It faded as soon as he spotted me, "Oh thank God. I thought I lost your dog, I mean he just took off."

"What happened out there?" I stood up as Joey came closer. His hair was damp with sweat and he had streaks of dust across his own face that matched the filth on his uniform, "Are you ok, Joey?"

"I'm fine, don't worry." He quickly reassured me, "There was no fight out there for us, but we spent a lot of time digging through the rubble. Bear saved a lot of lives." My hand drifted down to scratch Bear's ears again as he stared up at me with a lopsided look. His tongue slung to side and his ears haphazardly thrown about. Joey motioned toward me, "It's good to see you up and about on your own again."

I nodded, "It's good to be up."

"Hey, I was going to take Bear with me to wash him up. That ok with you?"

"You don't have to do that." I shook my head.

Joey waved me off, "Nah, it's fine. It's basically a routine now. Besides, Sunstreaker's usually the one who gets him looking good." The man crouched slightly, "You ready, buddy? You ready to go see Sunstreaker?"

Bear barked and took off again. Joey sighed and threw his arms up before giving me a quick wave and jogging after my dog. The urge to follow after them hit me hard. I wanted to see my Bear get cleaned up, to make sure that dried blood didn't actually belong to him, and to make sure everyone I knew who had gone out was doing ok. However, my initial goal came back to mind and my eyes darted down the hall to where Ratchet's medbay was located.

I walked this time, rather than running, and noted how eerie some parts of the base were. It was like all the activity had been moved to one location and now that I was away from that area it was a dead zone. By time I got to the hanger where one Cybertronian elevator and where Ratchet's medbay entrance was I was the only living soul there. I let out a low whistle before heading down the hall.

Apparently, I wasn't the only soul around here because there were two soldiers standing outside the entrance with weapons. I blinked in shock and nervously walked forward as the stared at me.

"Um, hi there." I chuckled and pointed past them at the door while trying to get by them, "I'm just gonna-"

"No one is allowed in ma'am. Lennox's orders."

I shook my head, "Uh, not to alarm you, but Lennox would let me in. He grilled me a burger and I lied and said it wasn't burned. We're basically like besties now."

"You're not getting in."

"I don't think you understand." I chuckled awkwardly, "I'm _Aj_ , and in there is _Ratchet_. My Ratchet. Dr. Rat." The soldiers shared a skeptical glance before looking back to me. "I'm just going to go in."

They blocked me as I tried to pass and I sighed in aggravation. My hands involuntarily balled up into fists and the urge to hit them overwhelmed me. What the hell? It wasn't their fault. They were doing their jobs and doing it well, but the anger in my chest made me want to full out brawl with these two soldiers.

I swallowed the urge and turned on my heel to briskly walk away before I did something I would later regret. Maybe I was just irritable and on edge today. It didn't matter anymore anyways. They would block that entrance all they wanted. I had another way in.

It took me less than five minutes to get in the elevator located in the hanger and travel to Ratchet's true medbay where he wasn't currently located, but I was able to get to the back elevator that opened directly in the medbay. I used my phone to activate the controls for this elevator, since they were too high up, and then a minute later I was inside the medbay.

"Run another scan." Ratchet ordered.

I walked into the main area to see Ratchet standing off to the side working with a computer system that hung down from the ceiling while Taylor worked with something on the berth beside him. They looked busy and frustrated. If I was smarter I would turn around and leave them to their work, but I wasn't smarter. I was a pain in the ass.

"What's up, guys?"

Ratchet glanced back, "You shouldn't be in here."

"That's what those soldiers said." I nodded and came further in, "I didn't like them bossing me around though. It made my skin crawl."

Taylor shot me a quick smile that barely hid her stress, "Who would've guessed that authority would make you, of all people, uncomfortable?"

"Ha ha." I replied. "Seriously though, what's with the secrecy?"

Ratchet shook his head, "It's nothing you need to concern yourself with."

I raised my eyebrows, "Yeah, that's convincing. Is there anything I can help with? Granted, I know nothing about Cybertronian anatomy if that's what you're working on, but I can bring snack foods over."

"Actually…" Taylor began and them shared a look. Ratchet shook his head no, while Taylor bobbed her head up and down with a smile. This lasted for a full minute before I coughed to interrupt them. They both shot their gazes to me and Taylor laced her hands together, "This plays to your strengths."

I laughed, "You mean talking out my ass."

Ratchet nodded once, "Yes, actually."

" _Oh_."

I hadn't expected for him to agree with that. Ratchet came over and held out his hand, which I stepped onto with ease. He lifted me up, "How is your knee?"

"It's good. Jackie did good work." I nodded. Ratchet carried me over to the lifted human hospital room off to the side. The one I still lived in. For some reason the wall was closed. This was odd because once I found out the wall was able to swing open I wanted it open 24/7. Hell, this was the first time I saw it closed since Ratchet surprised opened it on me.

"That's good to hear." He set me down on a ledge that had a door that would lead into the hallway outside the room. I tried to figure out why I was being put here rather than directly in the room if that's where he wanted me. "We just need you to distract him. Keep him calm. If at any moment you feel unsafe or uncomfortable let me know and I'll get you out."

I blinked in disbelief, "Wait, what? Who's in there?"

"A man from the attack in Texas." Ratchet answered, "And his…therapist."

"Therapist?"

"Government recommended."

Ratchet turned and walked back over to Taylor. I rolled my shoulders before shaking my head and entering into the hallway. The moment I stepped in I could hear a male voice walking. The voice was low and rather monotone, but I couldn't make out the words being said until I got closer to the entrance of the room.

"This is a stressful time for all and I only hope that you can open up to me. The first step to _healing_ is _talking_ about what happened."

"God, what bullshit." I mumbled to myself.

"I'm sorry who is there?" The same voice said and I realized that maybe my quiet mumble hadn't been so quiet. Quickly, I stepped into view with a small wave. The room was the same, but filled with two new people. The therapist guy was sitting on the chair by the bed. I knew he had to be the therapist because he wore a gray suit and the look on his old face told me he had a boring ass voice to match. He pushed the glasses on his nose up a bit.

My eyes darted over to the other guy who looked frustrated and confused. Now this guy was familiar. Sort of. He looked like someone I had seen before, but I couldn't put a finger on his name or where I had possibly seen him. He was absolutely filthy. He had tan skin that looked darker due to the dirt and dried blood caked around his grayish blue eyes. His hair was dark brown, but like his skin it too was matted with filth. His clothes were torn and dirty and it looked like there was something metal wrapped around his rather large bicep. My eyes darted to handcuff around his wrist keeping him to the medical bed.

"Who are you?" The therapist asked.

"Me?" I stalled and stepped further in, "I'm uh, the _new_ therapist."

The guy in the bed snorted while the therapist looked me up and down with a shake of his head, "I highly doubt that."

Lies came to mind. Various things I could say to convince him to get out. All of it took so much effort though and the last thing I felt like doing was putting effort toward this guy. I sighed, "Yeah I'm not a therapist. Do me a favor and just get the hell out."

"Excuse you…" He slowly stood up. I walked over to the bed where I knew the remote was and found the one that was connected to the wall. With a quick press it began to rise up. Ratchet was over without a second to waste with a glare on his features. The guy on the bed stiffened and the therapist stumbled.

"Is everything alright?" Ratchet demanded.

"Uh- I- We-" The therapist stammered.

I shook my head, "Am I legally allowed to kick his ass? I mean, he's trespassing in my room."

Ratchet heaved a sigh and plucked the guy out of the room. I waved as Ratchet set him down on the floor then I closed the wall in triumph. That's one for the cranky asshole and none for the boring therapist.

"Thanks."

I jumped at the deep voice and turned around. Right. This guy was still there. He was probably having a worse day than me though on account of the whole being in the middle of a drone attack thing.

"No problem." I shrugged, "You're kind of in my bed you know."

He didn't let his eyes waver from mine. Instead, he lifted his handcuffed hand until it couldn't go any higher, "It wasn't really by choice to be fair. None of this was." He scoffed and finally looked away, "I shouldn't be here."

"Maybe you should be in the hospital." I pointed to his various injuries, "Anyone look at those yet?"

"Some doctor guy when I got here." He replied bluntly. It had probably been Ratchet's holoform. Ratchet wasn't the kind of medic to leave someone injured unattended to. No matter how busy he was. "Can I leave yet?"

I crossed my arms, "Probably not. Not really my say."

He threw his head back against the pillow and let out a huff of anger. I bit my lower lip in thought while he closed his eyes and used his free hand to cover the upper portion of his face. The guy was mumbling something under his breath now, but I couldn't catch what he said. One word did stand out though.

"Tessa." I repeated, and he slowly pulled his hand away from his face to look at me, "Is that…Is that your wife or sister or…?"

He paused before nodding once, "My daughter. Tessa is my _daughter_."

Dread flooded my system the moment he said that. He had a daughter and she wasn't here with him. Had she been there during the attack? Had she not been as lucky as him?

"Is she…ok?"

"She finished her junior year of high school last week." He answered, "She wanted to go to New York City with her best friend's family. I said yes."

I rubbed the back of my neck, "Well that's good. She wasn't there, she's safe, right?"

"Yeah. She's safe." He breathed out as if he was still trying to convince himself of that. He shook his head then, "She's going to think that I'm… I'm all she has and she's all I have. I have to go to her, I have to get in contact with her."

The guy was starting to get worked up again and I didn't really know what to do. I held my hands out to try and calm him, "Can't you just call her? Ratchet doesn't want you to leave, I don't think."

"Call her? _Call her_?" He scoffed in anger, "I wish I could! I get dragged in here, held against my will, I got this- this _thing_ on my arm! I tried to call her, a million times, but you people keep telling me this is classified, that I can't-"

I pulled my phone out of my pocket and shoved it toward him. His jaw fell slack in surprise while I just bounced it in front of him slightly. He sat up a bit as his blood-matted eyebrows furrowed together in confusion. I smiled at him, "Call her. I assume she has a phone and you know the number?"

"You're kidding."

"Nope." I reached forward and took his free hand in mine. I then placed the phone in his hand, "Go ahead, man."

He griped his fingers around it tightly, as if he feared I was going to rip it away from him. After another second of thought, he quickly began to dial a number. I dropped down into the seat by the bed and just waited. He pulled the phone up to his ear and didn't have to wait long. It seemed like a rang once before being answered.

"Tessa? Tessa? It's dad."

For the first time since I stepped into the room, the guy seemed to relax. His shoulders were no longer tense and it looked like a weight had been removed from him. In fact, there was a smile on his face. It was why I noticed his lower lip was busted.

"Yeah, baby. I'm fine I promise. I'm ok, just a little bruised."

Their conversation continued for about ten minutes before he said good-bye and hung up. He stared at the phone for a few seconds before handing it back to me. He nodded, "Thank you."

"Of course. It's stupid they wouldn't let you get in touch with her, they're total morons and if they give you shit about this I'll fight 'em." I replied, then paused, "Unless the guy that told you that you couldn't is William Lennox. If that's the case, then we're just gonna keep this to ourselves. Our secret."

He chuckled in amusement, "I'm sorry for snapping at you."

"Don't worry about it. I'm Aj by the way."

"Cade. Cade Yeager." He introduced himself with a nod. My head tilted to the side slightly at that name. It was familiar. He was still familiar. Shit, was he from a movie? Cade let out a tired sigh and my mind drifted away from the movie thing. "Is there any water?"

I stood up and went over to the mini fridge that should still have a few bottles left over and grabbed him one, "So, can I ask what happened or is that insensitive?"

Cade chuckled, "I wish I could answer. I really have no idea what happened. One minute I was buying some hardware for my garage and then Main Street blew up." He shook his head, "I saw one of those Protector bots before the ceiling came down on me."

I handed him the water and sat back down with wide eyes. He downed half the bottle right then and there and when he finished I spoke up, "You saw one of the drones? Which one was it?"

"I don't know." He shook his head, "It was silver…I think. It's all kind of a blur to be honest."

"It kinda looks like you hit your head." I leaned forward to see the wound at his hairline. It wasn't too bad, and it did look like it had been cleaned, but it was still an open wound. Ratchet must have been in a hurry.

"Feels like it." Cade mumbled and lifted his hand to touch his face, but it was his handcuffed hand he tried to use and it was halted halfway. He heaved another sigh and I stood up. My hair was pulled back in a braid, but I quickly undid it and shook my hair loose. He raised an eyebrow at me, but I ignored him and pulled a bobby pin out of my hair. "Oh no way."

I grinned at him in response and prepared my bobby pin by bending it open and ripping off the plastic tips. Unfortunately, this was not my first time unlocking a pair of handcuffs with a bobby pin. As I toyed with it I warned him, "Just for your information, if you try and run out of here I'll kick your ass. Injured or not."

"I think I owe you too much to go running out of here." Cade replied.

"Damn right." I said softly under my breath while trying to focus. It had been a while since I've done this.

It was silent for a minute as I struggled to find the latch. Cade leaned forward toward me and whispered, "Are you sure you know what you're doing?"

I smirked and looked up to catch his gaze, "This isn't my first rodeo, but... It _has_ been a while."

"Past delinquent?" Cade joked.

"Something like that." I scoffed. I continued trying for a few more minutes before I realized I must have lost my touch. That blows. Annoyed, I threw the bobby pin across the room and looked at the guardrail his handcuff was attached to.

Cade shook his head with a slightly amused smile, "I appreciate the effort."

"Can it." I said then took a step back. I lifted my newly braced leg and quickly dug my heel into the side of the bed. To my surprise, the guardrail didn't just crack enough for me to pull on. The entire thing bent inwards and the guardrail crumpled. I grabbed the top half and it fell off in my hands, "Wow, Jackie wasn't kidding about the brace."

"And you weren't kidding about the being able to kick my ass thing." Cade whistled.

"There's a shower in the bathroom over there you're welcome to. That was kind of my grand 'help you out' plan." I said sheepishly.

He swung his legs off the bed and stood up. I awkwardly took a step back as I realized he was much taller than me. He was probably only a couple inches shorter than Tyler though, "Thanks. Again."

"My pleasure." I gave him a warm smile. The wall began to lift up again and I bit back a sigh. Ratchet stood there with his arms crossed. The moment his eyes landed on the bed he threw them up in annoyance.

"Youngling!"

"It was…" I lifted my hand and realized I was still holding the guardrail, "An accident?"

"Uh huh." Ratchet replied skeptically.

Cade stepped closer to me and it was then I realized he had gone tense again. I glanced up at him to see his jawline clench, "He's an Autobot, right?"

"Yeah. He's Ratchet. Ratchet's a good guy. The best." Cade glanced at me nervously before backpedaling into the bathroom. I dropped the guardrail and walked closer to the edge where Ratchet still stood, "It's my bed."

Ratchet shook his head, "I can call Sideswipe or Sunstreaker to sit with you."

"That will be the opposite of help. I think this Cade guy might be starting to trust me. Which is why I came in here, right?" I narrowed my eyes, "Wait, why am I in here?"

Ratchet shook his head, "We just need someone to keep him calm. He's been through a lot."

"The idea is to keep him calm and the initial solution was to handcuff him to a bed and not let him call his daughter?" I asked skeptically.

"The initial idea also included not having you involved."

I crossed my arms, "That might be the only smart part of the plan actually. I think I recognize him."

"From?" He questioned and I lifted both my eyebrows with a nod in hopes he'd understand. It took a second before Ratchet leaned back, "Oh, right. I see."

"Why is he here?"

"He was found in the rubble of a store with a Cybertronian artifact." Ratchet knelt down so we could talk face to face.

I stepped closer to the edge, "That thing on his arm? What is it? I didn't get a good look."

Ratchet glanced away, "I don't know. So far none of us have any idea what it is, but it is made of ancient Cybertronian metal."

"Well that's sketchy as fuck." I commented. Ratchet leveled a glare at me and I frowned, "Sorry."

"Just keep him happy while we work this out." Ratchet slowly began to stand again.

"How long is that gonna take?" I asked but my only answer was Ratchet shutting the wall between us. I mumbled a curse under my breath and walked over to sit back down in my chair.

For ten minutes I sat there bored out of my mind playing with the tips of my hair while the shower ran. My hair had actually gotten pretty long since I last cut it. It fell a little past my shoulders now in loose waves. Maybe I'd keep it long. I wasn't fighting anymore so there wasn't the worry of having it ripped from my scalp anymore. That was a plus.

The sound of nails on the tile floor down the hall made me smile and seconds later a clean and fresh Bear charged into the room and jumped into my lap. I let out a breath as he sat on my stomach, "Bear, you're not a puppy anymore."

"He still acts like one." Tyler commented and stepped into the room. He hadn't gone on the mission this morning, none of my kids had, and for that I was eternally grateful. "How's the knee?"

"Basically super human." I chuckled and cuddled up to Bear who happily got comfortable on top of me. "What are you doing here?"

Tyler pointed to the bathroom, "I'm supposed to talk to our new guest. Ask him questions."

"About?" I pressed.

"About the alien artifact on his arm, _cousin_." Tyler replied smugly and I rolled my eyes at him. He walked over and sat on the edge of the bed facing the bathroom wall, "You don't have to stay."

I shrugged, "I have nothing better to do with my time."

"Suit yourself." He shrugged.

It was silent a moment before I pointed at him, "How did you get in here though? Those soldiers said no one is allowed in."

"By no one, they meant unknown civilians with no military background whatsoever." Tyler answered, "AKA, not me."

"Smartaft." I mumbled and buried my head in Bear's coat.

Ten more minutes of silence passed before the sound of the shower shutting off made me sit up in my seat and Tyler turn off his phone. I watched as Tyler's goofy smirk turned to a serious look. He sat up straight and held his hands between his lap. Tyler looked professional as hell.

"Aw, my little Ty is all grown up." I cooed, "Look at you! All business like and ready to interrogate."

Tyler turned his head and gave me a forced smile, but I could see the amusement in his eyes, "You're making it a little hard to be professional, Aj."

"Ignore me." I waved him off, but made sure he could still see the smirk I wore. It was so strange to see Tyler like this. The bathroom door opened and Cade stepped out. My eyes widened in surprise. As it turns out, the filth and dried blood was hiding a hunk. He was handsome in a rugged, human sort of way. As in, he didn't look painfully perfect like some holoforms did. His hair still looked rather dark, but that was probably from the water now. It was short thought and slicked back. The slight scruff along his jawline and around his mouth was clean and the patches of dried blood were gone. " _Hello_ , Cade Yeager."

Cade smiled slightly, his cheeks going slightly pink, and Tyler slowly turned around to shoot daggers at me. I smiled sheepishly back at him. I truly didn't mean to say that out loud and I wasn't trying to use the 'yowza' tone at him.

"I borrowed the clothes from in there. They were close to my size." Cade motioned toward the plain t-shirt and men shorts. They technically belonged to Peter, but I had borrowed them ages ago.

Tyler put on a smile, "No problem, Mr. Yeager. I hope you're adjusting well here."

"Oh, I hate it here." He replied bluntly and Tyler faltered. Cade pointed to me, "She's not too bad though."

"I get that a lot." I grinned and flipped my hair in a showy way, "Mediocrity is my specialty."

Tyler opened his mouth to speak, but Cade's eyes widened as he walked right by my nephew and over to me, "Oh my God, it's that dog."

"Bear." I nodded.

"What?" Cade knelt down and put a hand on Bear's neck.

"His name is Bear. He's my puppy."

Cade tore his eyes away from me to scratch Bear behind the ears with both hands. Surprisingly, Bear put up with it. Even after all these years, Bear still wasn't very open to new people, but he had gotten friendlier to others. This was an example if any. "He saved my life."

"Bear did?"

"Yeah, when I came to I was pinned under a bar. Couldn't get out." Cade said. "I was yelling and next thing I knew I could hear this guy barking and digging above me. The rescue team showed up a little after, but this guy never left."

I smiled like a proud mama bird. Damn right, my dog saved his life. My Bear was a hero like no other. Tyler cleared his throat and stepped closer, "Mr. Yeager, I need to ask you a few questions if you don't mind."

Cade stood up skeptically, "And who are you?"

"This is my cousin, Tyler." I answered for him. "He's a good kid, cut him some slack, huh?"

Cade glanced back at me and Tyler raised both eyebrows at me in exasperation. When the guy looked back to Tyler with a nod, I gave him a wink and thumbs up that Tyler completely ignored. Cade sat down on the edge of the bed and I stood up and motioned for Tyler to take my seat. He did and began to delve into bland questions like ' _Where were you when this occurred_?' and ' _What do you know about Cybertronians_?'. While he did that, I began to look for the med kit I knew Ratchet kept around here in one of the smaller cabinets.

I was surprised to hear Cade knew so much about Cybertronians. I mean, I knew the public knew them, but Cade talked with more knowledge than I thought some random civilian would know. It was a bit off-putting until Tyler asked what he did for work and Cade claimed to be an inventor. He explained that's why he knew so much about the bots. He had an interest in them, admired them.

"Got it." I mumbled and pulled the kit out of the cabinet I had found it in. Bear was following me around the room, but I turned and put the cloth handle toward his mouth, "Take this to the bed, Bear."

Bear bit down and carried it over without hesitation. I walked over to the bathroom to quickly wash my hands. If there was anything I learned in not going to medical school, it was to wash your hands before messing with wounds. Safety first and all that jazz.

"He's smart." Cade commented towards Bear as I sat down on the bed beside him. Bear had laid on top of the bed with the kit.

I opened it up, "I know."

"So can you tell me when and how that happened?" Tyler pointed to the metal ring around Cade's right arm. It was the one furthest from me at the moment, but I leaned over to look at it. It was a tarnished, dark gray metal and looked like it was made of interlocking pieces. The width was probably two inches, but there was a circular portion facing outward that was wider than the other portions.

"Your guess is as good as mine on that." Cade replied. I reached forward to lightly grab his chin and tilted it toward me. His eyes glanced at mine briefly before going back to Tyler. I grabbed an alcohol swab and started to clean the wound at his hairline first. "It was there when I came to. I swear."

"I believe you." Tyler nodded once, but his nose scrunched up slightly. It reminded me of when he was a kid. He'd do that anytime I asked him something and he was giving me a false answer. It was his tell and that meant Tyler didn't believe Cade's answer. Cade hissed and I pulled my hand away with an apology under my breath. Tyler stood up, "Well I'm going to talk to my superior officer. You take good care of him, Aj."

I gave Tyler a smile and he walked out with his hands in his pockets. Cade shifted so he was facing me with his body. It made it easier to get to his wounds, "So I see all the face problems, but what about your body?"

"My body?"

"There was blood on your shirt."

He nodded, "Yeah, my shoulder is messed up. Some scratches on my back to from the bar I think."

After cleaning the wound at his hairline, I moved to the one of the side of his face. This one would need butterfly bandages at the least. Maybe even actual stitches. Cade cleared his throat, "Are you a doctor or something?"

I laughed, "No. Not even a little. I'm just used to cleaning up these kinds of wounds." The last bit I mumbled to myself, "Granted, they're usually my own."

"This just part of your past delinquency?"

"Exactly." I smiled. "So you're from Texas?"

Cade made a hum of agreement, "Born and raised. You're from the south aren't you?"

"How could you tell?"

"Your accent. It's slight, but you got a bit of a twang."

I laughed and finished fixing up the wound on the side of his face, "I'm from Alabama. Most people can't hear my accent though, not unless I'm drunk." Cade shrugged and I scooted back an inch or two, "Take off your shirt so I can fix those wounds. You're bleeding through the shirt."

"Shit." Cade breathed and tried to quickly pull it off. He hissed in pain at the movement though, "Sorry."

"No worries. It's not my shirt, remember?"

There was a shallow gash starting above his right armpit to his collarbone. I twisted my lips in annoyance, "This one is going to need stitches."

"Can you do that?"

"Technically, yes, but I haven't in a while." I sighed. "You probably want to wait-"

Cade interrupted me, "Can you do it?" My eyes widened slightly and he shook his head, "No offense to anyone else here, I know they're just doing their jobs, but you're kind of the only person I like so far."

"That's just because I broke all the rules for you." I chuckled and searched for the right equipment. Cade gave me a slight, firm smile and I shrugged, "Hey it's your shoulder, man. Just know I did warn you."

"Noted."

I cleaned the wound and set up the needle so it's be ready to go. Knowing that this was going to hurt like a bitch I gave him a kind smile, "So tell me about Tessa."

It was a good distraction. Cade smiled and started talking about his 17-year-old daughter. She sounded like a good kid, but what parent wouldn't paint their child in an uplifting way. Still, in the same way his face had lit up when he heard her voice over the phone, it lit up again while he was talking. It took about fifteen minutes to stitch him up, only because I was being super careful, and he spent most of the time talking about his daughter.

"Do you have any kids?"

I smiled at him, "No, but I-" The first thing to come to mind was Tyler, Taylor, and Peter, but it'd be hard to say they were kind of like my kids considering we were now around the same age. "I love kids though."

Bear, who had been quietly resting beside us, sat up suddenly and jumped off the bed. With the way he was excited, it meant only one person could be nearby. Cade nodded his head toward the door, "What was up with that?"

"You'll see." I said, "Turn around for me."

Cade turned so I could check out his back. There was a dark bruise that went from the lower end of his right ribcage to his left shoulder blade and around his left shoulder blade was a collection of torn skin. It looked like something had ripped up the skin around there.

"You're quiet. Does that mean it's bad?"

"Yeah, it's pretty bad. Above my level of skill bad."

"Damn."

Sunstreaker's holoform breezed in with Bear bouncing around his legs and a glare on his features. His eyes focused on me, but to do that he had to basically look over Cade's shoulder, "You ok?"

"I'm peachy." I said and stood up, "What are you doing here?"

Sunstreaker nodded his head toward the hallway. I glanced at Cade, "I'll be back."

Sunstreaker turned around and I followed him out into the hall. He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, "I don't think it's a good idea for you to hang out here. We have no idea what that thing is or what it can do."

"I'm fine. He needs someone."

"Why does that someone need to be you?" Sunstreaker pressed.

I gave him a smile, "Because I know what it's like to be in a place with no allies. It sucks. Now can I go back in and help this guy?"

Sunstreaker heaved a sigh and looked away for a second. He glanced back at me, "How is your new brace?"

"Amazing. I love it." I grinned, "I kicked the bed and literally broke it. It was _so_ awesome."

Sunstreaker chuckled, "I'm going to stick around the medbay. I won't be far. If you feel-"

"Unsafe or uncomfortable just give you a call." I chuckled and leaned forward to give him a tight hug. He returned it briefly before his holoform disappeared. I snapped my fingers by Bear and the two of us walked back into the room. Cade gave me a tight smile as I came back over to where I was, "I'm just gonna patch this over until Ratchet can get to it. He's the best doctor in the world and you can trust him. I do."

Cade nodded, "I'll take your word for it." There was a pause before he pointed toward the doorway, "Was that your overprotective boyfriend?"

"You know", I chuckled, "Sometimes I wish it were that easy, but it's not and he's not and… God, it's just a mess of a story."

Cade laughed, "So it's complicated?"

I smiled to myself in amusement, "So tell me about those inventions of yours."

The conversation continued and most of it was just small talk. Still, he was easy going despite the situation he was in and I enjoyed his company. It took me a minute or two to put away the medical kit and then I came back over to continue talking.

"So you really don't know how you got this?" I sat down beside him again, but this time on the opposite side. This let me get a closer look at the weird ass contraption on his arm.

"It was just there."

"Does it hurt?"

Cade shook his head, "I can't even really feel it, but it won't come off." He lifted his hand and tried to pull it off, but it didn't budge. It almost looked like it was welded to his skin. "See?"

I reached forward to tug on it as well, but the moment my fingers brushed against the metal it began to light up. The circular metal piece began to glow red and I watched as it slowly flashed a very familiar symbol. The same symbol that has been haunting me since the beginning of all this mess. The symbol I painted on the door with my own blood.

Cade lifted his arm and glanced down at it, but the moment he did the glow and symbol was gone, "What's wrong?"

"I-I have to go." I shot off the bed and tried to find my bearings.

Cade stood up as well, "Is everything ok? You seem kind of shook up." I shook my head at him and backpedaled a step, he followed me, "Did I say something wrong?"

"I'm sorry, but I have to go. Bear make sure he stays." I said and quickly rushed out of the room just as the wall began to rise up. Bear followed me briefly but sat at the door facing away from me. I heard him growl as I reached the end of the hall and I assumed it was because Cade tried to leave the room.

I took the elevator down in a panic. I had to find Optimus. He had to know about this. When I stepped out I heard a gasp of surprise and turned to see the soldiers staring at me in surprise.

"Were you-?"

"In the medbay? Yes. I listen to no one don't take it personally." I called back before running out. The hanger wasn't as empty as it was before, there were people milling about now and that should've been my first clue to slow down.

I figured Optimus would be in the main hanger where they held meetings since this was such a busy day which meant I needed to head down the north hallway.

The moment I ran around the corner to do so though, I ran directly into someone sending us both sprawling back. The guy was on the shorter side with thinning light brown hair and no rimmed, square glasses. He had on a dark suit, with an American flag pin on his lapel, and a blue tie.

"Excuse you." He snapped in annoyance and brushed off the front of his pants. He stared at me for a moment before narrowing his eyes, "Exactly who the hell are you?"

My own eyes widened in surprise at his words, "Me? Who the hell are you, jerk?"

He puffed up his chest and stepped forward, "I'm Director Theodore Galloway, liaison and national security advisor to the President himself."

"Oh." I said and mentally prayed that the earth would just open up and devour me whole. "It's super nice to meet you. _Sir_."

Unsurprisingly, he wasn't impressed by my addition of the word 'sir'.


	10. Chapter 10

_A/N: This one is a bit on the shorter side (compared to my average length), but I did that on purpose. It wasn't for lack of inspiration I just needed to end it there to match my chapter themes. Plus, I wanted to get you guys a chapter to read before I left for vacation this Sunday! ALSO, happy (early) birthday to Autobot Novastar! You said you wanted me to get a chapter out as a birthday gift to you and I freaking delivered. Granted it's early, but better early than late!_

 _Oh and look at this! We just hit double digits chapter wise for Lil'Bit. Yay! Hope you guys enjoy the tenth chapter, leave me more reviews they make me super happy._

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Chapter Ten:

Better Together

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 _"And how come it's so hard? It's not always easy and sometimes life can be deceiving. I'll tell you one thing, it's always better when we're together." –Jack Johnson (Better Together)_

* * *

There were a lot of moments in my life that I could look back on and say I regret. I know they say you're supposed to live your life without regrets, cherish every moment you're alive, and look for the bright side of every scenario. Well, I say _fuck_ them. They, whoever the hell they are, apparently never experienced anything worse than the embarrassment, shame, and resentment I felt for myself right now as I stared into the beady eyes of one pissed off liaison.

 _Why_ had I turned this corner so fast?

 _Why_ hadn't I just _told_ Ratchet to call Optimus?

Just, _why_?

" _Soldier_ , I said give me your _name_ and _rank_." Galloway demanded for the second time as I just stood there. He must have thought I was part of the military due to the whole ' _wearing an ARMY shirt'_ and ' _being on a secret military base'_ thing. This was a literal worse case scenario for me though, and it wasn't just because I literally ran into the one person everyone said I should probably avoid. The timing was God-awful too. Right now I was internally freaking out about the shit that just went down in the medbay with that creepy ass Cybertronian accessory that Cade was wearing. "Do I have to _repeat_ myself?"

Honestly, the timing was bad for him too. I was on edge, and I never made very good decisions when I was on edge like this. Good for other people that is. There was a part of me that was bubbling with anger again, just like earlier, except this anger made sense. I had heard about this ass. Many people had told me the horror stories of how rude he was to the personnel here, the Cybertronians especially.

However, punching this guy in the teeth would not help my case right now.

"I said-"

"Yeah, I heard you." I blurted in annoyance, and then quickly clenched my jaw. If this was going to end well I needed to do the exact opposite of what I would want. "I was just trying to er, think about-"

He stepped forward, "Wait a minute."

The critical look on his face was almost comical. I didn't mind him interrupting me though. Better him talk than me. That lessened the chance of me screwing up.

"You look _just_ like her." He said under his breath while taking a step back. His eyes traced me from toe to head in skepticism.

It took a moment for it to really click. He recognized me, and that only meant one thing. I quickly cleared my throat, "You mean Dr. Bradshaw." He bobbed his head once and I continued, "She was my mom before she like… _died_."

It was awkwardly quiet between the two of us for a moment. The sounds of soldiers in the hanger behind us could still be heard. Finally, he straightened his shoulders and nodded, "Dr. Bradshaw never mentioned having kids."

"I guess you can just call me the family secret then." I let out a small laugh that he didn't join in on. It died and I tried to save face, " _Still_ , can't argue _against_ it considering I probably look just like her. A younger, not dead version that is."

Galloway scrunched his eyebrows together questioningly before nodding, "I suppose. She was a good woman, your mother. We got along quite well. In fact, she was probably the only person on this base with any sensibility or logic whatsoever."

Of course this universe me would get along with this stiff. _Of course_.

"She talked about you a lot." I lied in hopes to play to his ego. It worked and I watched as a smug little grin formed on his face. Unfortunately, it didn't last long and he went back into questioning mode.

"Why are you _here_ though? You have no clearance for this kind of base-"

"Aj."

I whipped my head around to see Sunstreaker's holoform walking toward me as his alt mode sat behind him further in the hanger. Never before had I been so happy to see the mech.

"Sunstreaker." I breathed and quickly walked toward him.

He lightly pushed me behind him, and then locked eyes with Galloway. The liaison marched forward, "Excuse you, but I'm in the middle of questioning her."

"Talk to Prime and Lennox."

"I order you-"

" _Talk to Prime and Lennox_." Sunstreaker repeated with a dangerous edge to his voice. Galloway stumbled back a step and it looked like a lump had formed in his throat. He shook his head, shot me a quick glare, and then turned on his heel and rushed away. I let out a breath of relief and let my head rest on Sunstreaker's back. "Why the pit did you run out of the medbay like that?"

I didn't answer his question so Sunstreaker turned around and placed his hands on my shoulders. He carefully pushed me back a step so he could look me in the eyes. He raised an eyebrow and I shook my head. His gaze darkened in worry, "Did that human hurt you?"

"God, no." I groaned. Now I _had_ to answer him or else I'd have to worry about the twins threatening the newest base resident. "I…I freaked myself out. It's hard to explain."

Sunstreaker knew I was leaving something big out. I could see it on his face, but he didn't call me out on it. That was one thing I always appreciated about him and Sideswipe. They never pushed past what they needed to. They gave me my space when I really needed it.

"Should I be worried?" Sunstreaker asked as he started to lead me toward his alt mode. His gaze wasn't on me anymore, but I continued to look at his stony expression. The way his jaw was locked and his eyes hardened.

"No." I lied, "Probably not."

* * *

Tyler readjusted his uniform before entering the large, busy hanger. This hanger was always busy considering it was the main communication hanger, but on days like today it was filled to the brim. Soldiers moved to and from stations working on various things. The communication screen was on, but all it showed was a seat. General Morshower must have stepped away. In front of the screen, on the railing, were Lennox, Epps, Peter, Sam Witwicky, and a number of other higher up officers. Behind the railing were Optimus, Jazz, and Prowl in their bipedal modes. Tyler walked down the railing and glanced around. He could see Wheeljack and Sideswipe standing further back speaking to each other while Ironhide stood beside them with his arms crossed. Even further back was Bumblebee in his bipedal mode leaning against the wall. Taylor was sitting on his shoulder talking with him while leaning her head against his. He had seen her leave the medbay right before he went in, and this must have been where she went.

"Tyler, please tell me you got good news for me." Lennox called out as he got closer.

He shook his head and came to a stop in front of Lennox and the screen. Instinctively, his hands folded behind his back and he stood at attention, "Not really, no, but what else did we expect from today?" Lennox hung his head and Tyler chose this moment to continue, "All the background information I found through the system is as follows: Cade Yeager is an inventor from Round Rock, TX. He's lived there his entire life and has one daughter, aged 17, who is currently in New York City. His wife is deceased and has been for 13 years now. My interview with him confirms a good bulk of this information."

"And the artifact?" Optimus asked.

"He states he has no recollection of how it came to him. Yeager states that he was knocked out and when he came to the artifact was there."

Jazz leaned against the railing, "You believe 'im, cadet?"

"Not at all, but that still leaves us with no answer because he's ticking with that story." Tyler answered. Lennox turned to Epps to speak and Tyler let his eyes drift back over to Jazz. He spoke under his breath, "Also, I stopped being a cadet _years_ ago."

The saboteur grinned at him, "You'll always be _my_ cadet, younglin'."

Tyler couldn't help but smirk in amusement, but movement from the screen made him straighten back up. General Morshower sat back down with a frustrated look on his face. He rubbed a hand across the top of his shaved head, "Sorry about that. What's the latest news?"

"Nothing of note. I just got word that Director Galloway made it safely on base." Lennox's voice was blunt and frustrated. Tyler didn't think Lennox could be anymore stressed than he was now, but a visit from Galloway could definitely make things worse. Hell, Galloway could make _anything_ worse.

Morshower sighed, " _Fantastic_. What's the word on clean up?"

"We have Blaster out there right now along with squadron 3 and 4." Epps spoke up, "They're working on it, but clean up is _slow_."

"And how are we on media?"

Peter stepped forward with a shake of his head, "We got most of it back in control."

"Most stations are just focusing on either honoring the dead, helping the injured get back in touch with family, or blaming the drones." Sam added, his arms were crossed over his chest, crinkling his black suits, and his face was currently devoid of emotion.

The meeting continued for the next few minutes. Tyler glanced over his shoulder to see Bumblebee picking Taylor off his shoulder. She pressed a kiss against his cheek before he set her down. She began to walk off and looked up at where he was. His twin offered him a tired smile that he returned with a slight wave.

" _Where is Lennox_!?"

"The universe really does hate me today." Lennox mumbled with a muted groan. He turned his body to face the direction that Director Galloway was coming in at.

He stormed in with his finger raised, "How come I never got a report about Dr. Bradshaw's _only_ daughter? I just ran into her in the hallway."

Jazz stiffened behind Tyler and was the first to speak up, "Where is she?"

"That is _hardly_ the question at the moment." Galloway barked.

Wow, Aj and Galloway had already met each other. Tyler was a bit disappointed he hadn't been around to see that. Although, considering Galloway wasn't sporting a black eye or any other injuries their meeting hadn't gone like Tyler would've normally assumed. Still this only added to the mess. Who would've thought today could get any worse?

"And this conversation is hardly one we should be spending any time on." Prowl replied sharply, "There are other pressing matters at hand."

"More pressing than-" Galloway continued to yell.

" _Director_." Morshower barked out, "This meeting has been called about the attack on Round Rock. Let's focus on that."

Galloway still wouldn't let it go. The argument continued, but Tyler felt a wave of nausea wash over him. It was a familiar feeling. This meant something was wrong over the bond. Someone was worried about something. Considering how strong the feeling was there were probably multiple mechs feeling that way. He spun around with wide eyes just in time to see all three mechs stiffen as their eyes dimmed.

"Squadron 3 and 4 are calling in an emergency." Lennox said in alarm.

"There is another attack." Optimus said gravely, "Blaster has sent in word. A city an hour away from Round Rock, two from the hive, is under attack."

Tyler felt his stomach drop. Apparently, he had spoken too soon.

Today had just gotten really, _really_ worse.

* * *

"I _need_ to talk to Optimus." I said again.

Sunstreaker sighed as he moved around the room looking for something, "You've said that, a million times, but you can't. Not right now."

I threw myself back so instead of sitting on his berth, I was lying on it. The metal was hardly comfortable, but that was the least of my worries. A few moments later Sunstreaker sat down beside me and tossed a large blanket over me. It was a thick comforter that was white and decorated with blue polka dots. I pulled it off my head and gave him a questioning look.

He shrugged, "Sideswipe stole it from someone."

"Why? It's hardly his size." I replied and balled it up so I could rest my head on it lazily.

"I'm pretty sure he stole it for you." Sunstreaker scoffed. It was a fair point. Should the mech have stolen someone's comforter? No, of course not. Was I complaining about it? Nope. Possession was eight-tenths the law, after all.

"So when are you going to show me some of your paintings?" I asked in a vain attempt to forget about the issues at hand. Sunstreaker shot me a skeptical look and I smiled at him, "Let's not pretend that you're totally against that. We are bestest buddies, remember?"

Sunstreaker chuckled, "Maybe one day."

"One day better come soon because-" My words came to a halt as nausea hit me hard. My first thought was that I was going to be sick right here on Sunstreaker's berth and he'd murder me. It passed though as I realized the feeling wasn't physical. Sunstreaker must have noticed my confusion and shock because he set one hand beside me in worry. "What the _hell_?"

Suddenly, his eyes dimmed for a moment before he quickly shot up, "There's been another attack. I have to go."

"Another attack? Where?"

"Not far from the first." Sunstreaker turned to me, "Don't go back upstairs. Galloway will be looking for you and he wouldn't dare come down here."

I stood up as well, clutching the blanket to my chest now, "You're gonna go _fight_? Are you kidding?"

"If anything happens here you can get in contact with us through your phone. Be careful." Sunstreaker said firmly. He was worried about me. He was the one about to go into a warzone and _he_ was worried about _me_.

"You be careful you big, yellow dummy." I replied with a frown. He chuckled once before rushing out the room, letting the metal door slide behind him. Then it was quiet and I still felt sick. I didn't like this, not one bit. Here I was stuck on base while people I cared about fought. Every once in a while I'd beat myself up on days where everyone was working and I did nothing. Right now though was the worst of it. Right now, I felt _beyond_ useless.

Especially considering I was stuck up on this berth. Sunstreaker hadn't set me down first, which meant I was about ten feet above the ground. My friends were out there risking their lives for the greater good and I couldn't even get myself off this stupid berth. _Fuck m_ e.

For the next five minutes, I stared at the floor and contemplated jumping. Wheeljack had said this brace could hold up when it came to force. I mean, I've already destroyed a hospital bed with it much to Ratchet's chagrin. Still, jumping seemed like a bad idea. Right before I was about to say ' _shove it'_ and try anyways, the sound of my phone startled me and I nearly fell off the edge.

"Fragging…" I breathed under my breath while trying to get my heart rate under control. It took a moment for me to dig my phone out, " _Hello_?"

"Where are you right now?" Jazz asked with no hint of an accent impeding his words.

I blinked in surprise, "Sides and Sunny's room. I'm stuck on his berth."

"Be right there."

"But it's locked and you can't-"

Him hanging up the phone impeded my argument. Another sigh slipped from my lips and I just sat down where I was with the blanket balled up in my lap. Maybe since he was an officer he had access codes for all the rooms? Was that how this worked?

A few minutes passed before I heard footsteps, "Aj?"

"I'm in here, Jazz!" I called back out to the mech behind the door, "The door is probably locked though. I tried to tell you."

I could faintly hear the sound of metal tapping on metal. This went on for a moment before the door slid open to reveal Jazz's bipedal form. He wasted no time in hurrying over to me. I set down the blanket so I'd be able to use it the next time I was hanging out in here, and then I stood up, only for him to scoop me up in his hands.

"How'd you get in? Did you have the code?"

"No, I hacked it." Jazz replied, "Hold on."

Before I could ask why I needed to hold on for anything, Jazz tucked me against his chest and leaped forward. A gasp slipped from my lips as he began to transform. I blinked and before I knew it I was suddenly sitting in his driver's seat and he was speeding off.

" _Fuck_!" I yelled and gripped the edges of my seat, "Do _not_ do that again."

Jazz chuckled, "Sorry, femme."

"You hardly sound it!" He didn't reply and I watched as he sped down the hall, "Where are we going?"

"Medbay."

" _No_!" I cried and slammed my foot on the brake. That did nothing at all, but Jazz did slow down, "We can't go there."

Jazz's voice drifted through the radio, "An' why not?" I bit my lower lip as I tried to think of an excuse. "Aj?" Nothing was coming to me and I knew Jazz wouldn't let this go. He was different from the twins. They'd whisk me away from the medbay and leave it at that. Jazz _always_ needed an answer.

I sighed, "I don't want to see that Cade Yeager guy...or Ratchet really."

"Why not?"

"Ratchet would ask why I rushed out of the medbay away from said Yeager guy."

Jazz pressed further, he was at a complete stop now, "An' why did you do that? Did he bother you? Did he _hurt_ you?"

"No." I groaned. Why was that always their first assumption? "I just don't want to talk to him. Ok? Let's go to your room. Please."

I knew where Jazz's room was, but I hadn't been there myself yet. There was a pause of silence before Jazz revved his engine and spun back around to go in the opposite direction we had been going in. I sank in my seat and ran a hand against the steering wheel in thanks. After a moment of me being grateful had passed I spoke up, "Can I feel negative emotions over the bond?"

"I think so. The younglings mention it sometimes."

I'd have to talk to them about it. I felt that nausea right before Sunstreaker got his message about the attack. Did it have something to do with the bonds? The nausea was gone now.

A couple minutes passed and we arrived at Jazz's room. It didn't take very long considering we hadn't driven very far from the collection of rooms in this area. The door slid open, meaning he must have activated the code remotely, and he drove in. I stepped out of the seat and glanced around while he transformed. His room was shaped just like the twins', but he had only one berth and little to no decorations about.

"Goin' up?" Jazz set his hand next to me.

I stepped on and he carried me over to his berth. I expected him to set me down, but instead he laid down and set me on top of his chest. In response, I took my shoes off and threw them to the floor before crossing my legs and staring at him, "Why didn't you go?"

"Not my turn. Someone needs to stay on base an' keep an optic on things."

"If I ask you questions about it…" I began slowly, "Will you be honest?"

"Always."

I sucked in a deep breath and looked away from Jazz's visor for a moment. Once I had my thoughts collected, I looked back at him. He had one hand behind his head like a pillow and it made it so his face was angled in my direction. His other hand rested behind me. He looked comfortable with one leg outstretched and the other bent up at the knee.

"Who went on the mission? That I know."

Jazz paused in what I assumed to be thought, "Prime is out there 'gain. He always is. Blaster was in Round Rock already so he was the first Autobot on scene. Ironhide, Hound, Bluestreak, the twins, and Flare-Up left base." He sighed, "As for humans… Lennox an' Epps went out with squadron 1, 2, an' 5. You know Joey an' Hemi from those squadrons. They kept Bear on base to let 'im get some rest, but…"

"But what?" I pressed.

"Tyler did get sent out."

My nephew Tyler. The thought of my Tyler running around a battlefield put ice in my veins. The Autobots could take care of themselves. They were warriors, and as much as I worried about them I knew they could handle what got thrown at them. Tyler though? I couldn't stop picturing six-year-old Tyler standing in the middle of a firefight. All I could see in my head was my little six year old nephew standing in front of one of those damned drones with a target painted on his chest because of the non-human like energy signature he gave off.

My living nightmare was interrupted by Jazz who began to slowly rub my back with one of his fingers. I brought my gaze back up to meet his, "Jazz…"

"He's gonna be fine. Blue is out there with 'im, and no Autobot alive would let _anythin'_ happen to _any_ of the younglings." Jazz reassured me, "'sides, Tyler's been trained. He's got a protective suit. He's good."

My hand drifted up to grab my necklace only to remember it wasn't there. I still hadn't gotten back my necklace or bracelet yet when they were removed for surgery. At least, I assume that's when I lost them.

"Is the mission dangerous?" I asked then chastised myself for the stupid question, "I mean- What are the odds?"

Jazz hummed to himself, "The odds are good, sweetspark. The city that was attacked, Killeen, brushes borders with Fort Hood. It's one of the largest ARMY bases and they were on scene real fast."

"God, I feel so useless." I scoffed and buried my face in my hands. This was bad when I thought Autobots were going to be out there, but now that I knew Tyler was in the fray it was so much worse.

"Hey now, don't say that." Jazz replied, "This is outta your servos."

" _Exactly_."

There was a beat of silence before Jazz spoke up, "If I ask you questions, will _you_ be honest?" I looked up from my hands. He stared at me quietly and I gave him a small nod. "I got a few, but let's start with Cade Yeager."

"Actually, could we _not_?" I asked sheepishly, "Anything else and I _promise_ I'll answer but…"

Jazz sighed, but gave in, "Fine. Let's talk 'bout Galloway." I groaned at the name and he continued, "What happened there?"

"I ran out of the medbay and right into him. _Literally_." I explained. "He started yelling at me, asking me who I was, but then he realized I look a lot like a past resident doctor. I told him I was her daughter and then Sunstreaker came and saved me before I said something I'd later regret."

Jazz's finger continued to draw lazy circles on my back, and I didn't stop him. It felt nice. Reassuring. He chuckled, "Would've been nice if you just slugged 'im."

"Nice? Yes. Helpful? Probably not." I smirked.

"True, true." Jazz smiled. The relaxed look on his face faltered slightly though, "He's pissed 'bout you bein' on base though. We all know he's gonna try an' get you kicked off now that you 'ave a workin' brace."

I shrugged, "He has a good point."

"Galloway has no good points. He has no good _anythin'_." Jazz argued in disbelief.

I shook my head, "What I mean is this… I have no purpose here." Jazz opened his mouth, but I didn't let him get a word in, "At this moment in time, I'm basically the bases' resident _hobo_. I don't bring anything to the table here. Hell, even Bear has a purpose."

" _No one_ is takin' you away from us. We ain't gonna lose you again." Jazz said firmly. He sat up slightly making me lean back into his hand, "I give you my word on that." I nodded once and he laid back down. This time he did so in a way where his gaze was focused on the ceiling above him. I continued to stare at him though. From this angle, I could see the light glow from his eyes under the visor, but it wasn't enough to determine the color. "Aj?"

I hadn't expected him to say more so his voice made me jump, "Yeah?"

"I have one more question for you."

His lack of an accent made me worry about what it was going to be. If he asked about Cade again I might just throw myself off him and this berth to the floor. I warily replied, "Ok… What is it?"

"Are you mad that I did what I did with this universe's version of you?"

I blinked in surprise. What? That question had come from left field and it was the very last thing I ever would've expected, "Um…You mean like…Am I mad that you gave her money?"

"I wasn't trying to replace you. I swear it, but… I _missed_ you. A lot. And I thought- _I thought…_ that if I could just _see_ you." Jazz said slowly and carefully, like he was testing every word on his tongue before letting it slip, "Not _you_ , but… I just _needed_ to…"

"I'm _not_ mad." I replied quickly, "I never even thought of it that way. Why didn't you talk to me about this earlier? Like on our way to the party on Sunday or….?"

Jazz shrugged and the movements made me move slightly, "I wasn't sure I wanted to ever really bring it up."

"You can talk to me about _anything_." I replied, "And like I said, I'm not mad. I can't imagine what I would've done if I hadn't seen y'all for twenty years. It would've been _bad_."

"I worried about that everyday." Jazz admitted, "And when I found out you were back I didn't know what you'd be like."

"You thought twenty years had passed for me too."

Jazz nodded, "I'm glad it turned out like this. Twenty years for me and only a day for you."

"Why?"

He tilted his head again to look at me, "I'd suffer through a millennia without you if it meant you didn't have to do the same."

I could feel my face heat up at his words. Jazz was too good for me. What did I ever do to deserve a friend like him in my life? Unsure of what to say, I chose instead to lie down on his chest. He folded his hand over to cover me like a metal blanket. Maybe a nap would do me good. Sleeping meant not having to worry about Tyler or that weird ass symbol or Director stupid head. I let my eyes drift shut.

"Jazz?"

"Yeah, sweetspark?"

"What the hell is your eye color?"

Jazz chuckles shook me, but his hand kept me in place. He didn't offer me an answer, not that I really expected one, and my consciousness was started to slip away.

* * *

Taylor's phone buzzed again on the medical berth she stood on. She had set it a good ten feet or so away on the metal surface so it wouldn't distract her while she worked. The vibrating noise was a distraction on its own though.

She forced herself to focus on the pictures of the artifact in front of her along with the results from the various scans. They were all inconclusive and useless. She let out a huff of frustration and swiped them away.

"Your brother will be fine." Ratchet spoke up. She glanced over to see he hadn't moved far from the large computer like system he worked with. He was reviewing scans much more complex than the ones she had been looking at. He didn't tear his gaze away from the results as he spoke, "He is a good soldier and they will take care of him."

Taylor was an easy book to read. She knew this about herself. Her face was expressive and there wasn't an emotion she could hide. It didn't help that her family knew her well enough to pick up on her thoughts without her uttering a single word.

"Ratchet, I'm going to examine the artifact in person." Taylor announced.

He nodded, "Be careful, and take your phone." Taylor raised an eyebrow at him and he glanced over, "Your mother will be calling soon no doubt and I am sick of the vibrations."

Taylor smiled before rushing over to grab her phone before walking back over to the edge of the berth. Ratchet offered her his hand and transferred her over to the edge of the lifted, human medical bay without a word. She didn't immediately enter the hallway and instead stood on the wide ledge going through her texts.

 _'I wasn't sent on the mission. Stuck on base. Be careful around the artifact. Love you, sweetie.'_

Her eyes scanned over the text twice as warmth flooded to her cheeks. Being around him always made her feel safe and at ease. Even though she had just been talking with him, not even a couple hours ago, she still wished she could be with him right now or vice versa. It'd make this day a little better no doubt.

She shot him a quick reply before pocketing the phone and entering the hallway. The first sound to greet her was the sound of pacing. As she got closer to the doorway she could see Bear lying in the middle of it, his mismatched eyes following the man he was told to guard. Taylor bent down to scratch his neck and the man stopped to watch her.

"Go get some food, Bear." Taylor cooed. Bear turned his head to find her hand and then licked it before trotting away.

"I knew the dog was smart, but he's actually kinda _scary_ smart."

Taylor rose to her full height. Cade Yeager was standing over by the back right corner of the room next to the rising wall. He was cleaner than the last time she saw him and bandaged up well. Aj probably did that. He still looked annoyed and troubled though, but that hardly surprised her.

"He's always been a clever pup." She stepped forward, "I was hoping to get a look at the artifact on your arm."

Cade tilted his head to the side slightly with a clenched jaw, "And I was hoping to get the hell out of here finally."

Taylor sighed, "I know this is hard and you have no reason to trust us, but we are keeping you here for your own good." He scoffed lightly and she steeled herself, "We have _no_ idea what that thing on your arm is and we don't know if it's dangerous or not. You have a daughter don't you?"

"I do." Cade answered after a moment of hesitance.

"I seriously doubt you want to go home to her with a potentially hazardous, alien artifact attached to your arm." Taylor said in a matter-of-fact way. Cade's features softened and he came over to sit on the edge of the bed to her left. "We're on your side here. We are going to help you and we are going to get you back to your daughter safe and sound."

Cade sighed and bobbed his head, "I guess I don't really have much of a choice but to trust you."

Taylor walked over to him and pulled out a hand held scanner from her coat pocket. His shirt sleeve brushed the top of the artifact so she took a moment to carefully roll it up to the top of his shoulder. The dark metal was daunting and even a bit creepy, but she went about scanning it a few times hoping to unlock some sort of answer.

"Do you know that Aj woman?"

Taylor chuckled, "She's my a-" Her eyes widened and she quickly coughed to cover her almost mistake, "My uh, my _cousin_."

"That one guy was her cousin too, wasn't he?"

"Tyler, yeah. We're twins."

Cade's eyes widened slightly, "I can kind of see the resemblance now." Once the scans were done, she stuck the device back into her pocket and began to prod at the armband with her hand. The metal was cold to the touch and seemed almost fused to his skin somehow. "Do you know where she went?"

"I don't." Taylor shrugged and she gave him a skeptical glance, "She ran out of here pretty fast though. Do _you_ know why?"

Cade quickly shook his head, "I honestly don't. I've been thinking about it, but… I don't remember saying anything that might've been offensive. If I did I didn't mean to." He rubbed the back of his head with left hand. "She was…great."

"Yeah, I heard she broke some rules for you." Taylor chuckled. The handcuff was still attached around his right wrist like some sort of strange bracelet.

"She did. I'm real grateful for it too."

Taylor smiled to herself and unrolled his sleeve for him, "That's Aj. Rule breaker extraordinaire."

"So she makes a habit of breaking rules?"

"Aj…" Taylor chuckled and reached back for the phone in her pocket as it began to vibrate again, "Aj does whatever the hell she wants, really."

Cade gave her a soft smile and she glanced down at her phone to see her mom was calling. She lifted it to excuse herself and he nodded. Taylor backpedaled out of the room while answering, "Mom?"

"I've seen the news and I just got a call from Pete. Is everything ok there?"

"Everything is fine." Taylor sighed. Mom was in Las Vegas since this was the last official week of school for Luke, Annabelle, Lex, and Eli. Things would be easier come Friday when they came back and just stayed on base in the apartments provided here. "Tyler got sent out."

Mom sighed over the phone, "I know. I know. God, I'm so worried. How is your aunt handling everything? If she knows about Tyler being gone…"

"I don't know. Last I heard she ran into Galloway and Sunstreaker swept her away." Taylor replied. She stepped back out onto the ledge and glanced over at Ratchet who shot her a quick, curious glance.

"Did Sunstreaker get sent out to the field though?"

"He did." Taylor answered, and she could almost feel her mom's anxiety over the line. She quickly added, "Jazz is still on base though. I'm positive he must have found her by now."

There was a quick pause before her mom spoke again, "Have you seen the news recently?"

"No. What are they saying?"

"Monique and I are watching it right now." She replied and there was a solemn tone in her voice, mingled with an edge of fear, "They're estimating casualties have already reached the thousands. It's bad, Taylor. It's really bad."

* * *

Peter stood stock still in the middle of the communication hanger floor. It was a little past 11 at night and the battle had been called three hours ago and the first wave of soldiers were on their way back. They should be here any minute now.

The battle in Killeen had been worse than the one in Round Rock. The damage had been catastrophic and the casualties were numerous. They lost three of their own. Henderson, Ryans, and Cox were going to be coming home in boxes. They were good men and they didn't deserve to go down like they did.

Peter ran a hand through his hair and let it fall down to his exhausted features. There was nothing he wanted more than to go back to his apartment in Vegas and hold Delilah and Amy. Today more than ever that's what he needed, but it had to wait. He was going to be stuck on base for another day at the most dealing with the aftermath of the battles.

He heard footsteps approach him and soon enough Taylor was standing by his side. She looped her arm through his and leaned her head against his shoulders, "Lennox called in. They're a couple minutes out and about to land."

"Good." Peter nodded. "Did you call mom and let her know?"

"I did. She's going to call Tyler tomorrow morning after he's rested." Taylor replied. She sighed, "Aj is pissed. She wants to be up here waiting too, but Jazz is keeping her downstairs."

Peter glanced over at his sister, "It's for the best." His eyes darted up to the railing where Galloway stood looking through a tablet of files. "As soon as Galloway sees her again he's gonna go on a rampage."

"He's such an awful man." Taylor mumbled under her breath. Peter couldn't disagree with her. He pitied Sam. As the Autobot assigned liaison, he had to work with Galloway often. Peter wasn't quite sure how the man put up with him.

The hanger doors began to open and both siblings tensed. Optimus walked in, ducking his head under the top edge of the hanger slightly, and walked straight to the railing. His paint was scuffed up and there was energon splashed over portions along with dust, but Peter could see no major injuries. Soldiers began to walk in and the ones who stayed behind greeted them. Peter caught sight of a filthy Lennox and Epps quickly marching to the edge of the room where they could climb up to the railings. The only other Cybertronian to come in was Bluestreak and he drove in straight toward the two of them.

Bluestreak's paint was a wreck and there was a deep gash along the hood. Taylor didn't seemed too panicked though so Peter assumed this meant the wound wasn't life threatening.

The door swung open and Tyler stepped out. He had his field suit on, the one that looked extremely similar to Taylor's, but without the helmet activated. The armor on Tyler's left arm was ripped to shreds and Peter could see dried blood under the messed up metal. Tyler's lip was also busted and still bleeding.

Taylor sprinted forward and threw her arms around Tyler without hesitation. Tyler hugged her back tightly as Bluestreak began to transform. Peter walked after his sister and waited patiently.

"Are you ok? What happened?" Taylor asked while still crushing her twin in a hug.

Tyler groaned, "I'm fine. Got caught by a drone for a bit. It was Rhythm." He listed the drone modeled after Jazz. "Those damn claws nearly tore my arm off."

Taylor pulled away, "And you Blue?"

"Oh I'm fine." Bluestreak shook his head, "The wound I got is mostly superficial. I'm going to head to Ratchet now actually, the others are already there. Except Ironhide, he went straight to the house in Vegas. To keep an eye on them just in case."

"Hey, Ty." Peter stepped forward and hugged his younger brother tightly. "Anybody else get hurt?"

Tyler shook his head, "Not too bad. Sideswipe shoulder looks like shit and Rewind's leg is hanging by a thread really, but they're doing good. Everyone else is just sort of dinged up."

"Riley is stuck in the communications office right now." Taylor said.

"I know, she texted me. I'm gonna stop by and see her. Mom shot me a text too saying she'd call later."

Peter nodded, "You need to go downstairs first and see Aj."

"Aj?"

Taylor agreed, "He's right. If you don't go and see her in the next five minutes I'm pretty sure she's going to come up here and murder Galloway just to make sure you're actually safe."

Tyler smirked at them, "That doesn't sound so bad to me."

The siblings chuckled to themselves with soft smiles on their faces. The world around them was still sort of a mess, but things were always better when they were together.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Um hi there. I've been MIA. That sucks. Please love me lol. Y'all might wanna reread the last few chapters as a reminder of where we are b/c this one starts with a bit of a time skip.

* * *

Chapter Eleven:

Field Trip

* * *

 _"Wherever you go becomes a part of you somehow." –Anita Desai_

* * *

The apartment was small and studio like in style. The kitchen merged with the living room, which merged into a bedroom like area. The walls were painted a soft gray that complimented the dark cherry wood floors and the cream tiles of the kitchen. There was a light tan, leather couch set facing a fancy, futuristic TV. The bed was a queen size with dark blue sheets and the bed frame matched the dark wood dresser sitting in the corner and the nightstand beside it. One of the two doors in the bedroom area led to a bathroom while the other led into a medium sized closet. The third was the one that led in and out of the apartment.

It was small and it was cozy. There were no leaks in the roof, no shady neighbors with questionable pets, and the view was of a gorgeous sandy beach rather than a dirty, dark alleyway. Granted, the sandy beach was an electronic hologram, but boy was I a fan of it.

I jumped up onto the black marble counter and smiled to myself as I let my eyes drift over my apartment for the millionth time. I stuck my spoon back into the carton of chocolate chip ice cream just as someone knocked on my front door.

"Come in!" I called out and then majestically shoved the spoon of ice cream into my mouth. The door opened and Tyler stepped in with a smirk. He had on a PT uniform that consisted of black polyester shorts and a gray shirt. My eyes darted to his left arm, which had scarred up. There were three faint lines, which were still a bit red that went from a little below his elbow to his wrist. His other, smaller, wounds from the battle two weeks ago were healed and gone.

Tyler pointed at me while walking over, "It's 8 in the morning, and you're eating ice cream."

"How very observant of you." I replied with a mouth full of cold dessert.

"You liking the new place?" Tyler asked. He jumped up and sat on the counter next to me.

I kicked him with the side of my foot, "Get your ass off my counter."

"You're sitting up here."

"It's my counter. My ass is allowed to be up here." I countered. Tyler chuckled and hopped off and I did the same. I tossed the spoon in the sink and then put the half empty ice cream carton back into the freezer.

"So what's on your agenda today?" Tyler asked.

I closed the freezer and then leaned against the stainless steel with a smile, "Well let's see… my schedule is pretty full, has to be in order to maintain my current lifestyle, which means I'll spend a little time annoying Ratchet, work out on my own, and then I'll probably spend a bulk of my time today sitting on my couch staring at the wall in boredom and despair."

Tyler raised an eyebrow at me, " _Aj_."

"It's no big deal." I shrugged, "I live here in this _amazing_ apartment where I don't have to pay rent because I'm being supported by the government. Ain't life grand?"

"Call me crazy, but you seem a little bitter." Tyler chuckled. He pulled out his phone and checked something before sticking his phone back into his pocket with a nod. "It's ok you know. We all want you here and no one except Galloway is bitching about you wasting resources."

I tilted my head with narrowed eyes, "I can't tell if that was supposed to be a pep talk or not. It started good…"

"But kinda went downhill?" Tyler nodded, "Yeah, it wasn't my best work. You know what I mean though, right?"

"I do." I smiled at him. I knew exactly what Tyler was trying to say. It's what everyone had been saying to me for the past two weeks, but it seemed like none of them understood what I was trying to say. This wasn't the way I wanted to live my life. I wasn't the kind of person who sat back and let others take care of me. It just felt wrong. It made my soul twitch with restlessness and agitation. Apparently, I wasn't built for the homebody life.

Tyler clapped his hands, "Well I just wanted to stop by and check on you. Mom's still trying to get everything together for the kid's trip. Are you going on that?"

"They asked me to." I started to walk over to my dresser. Since the kid's summer break had started Aubrey had been trying to get a vacation planned, which was apparently a bigger pain than I had thought it'd be. Right now their plan was Disney Land, but in order to travel that distance she needed to get approval from our overprotective mechs, "Asked might not be the right word though. Annabelle begged."

"That didn't answer my question."

"I was thinking about it. A trip sounds nice, but it also sounds like the perfect way for Galloway to successfully kick me off base." I said. Galloway had been on and off base since I first met him, but I had been stuck on base since. Mostly because we all knew that the moment I stepped off base he would enact a ruling that prevented me to get back on. Could he follow through on that? Of course not. No member of my extended family would let that happen. They'd sneak me back on, but then we'd have to deal with all the trouble of breaking his bogus law.

Tyler nodded, "That's true." He grinned, "So hey, you wanna see something cool today?"

"Depends." I replied warily. Tyler was no longer the cute kid I remembered. He was a grown ass, sarcastic man with a penchant for pranks that I can only assume came from growing up around Sideswipe.

"Come to the training gym around noon. You'll get to see me kick some ass."

He began to backpedal out of my apartment while I stared at him in confusion. I shook my head, "What does that even mean?" Tyler pointed at me with a grin, offering no answer, then left. I rolled my eyes and went back to looking for clothes to change into.

With the help of Aubrey, I now had an actual wardrobe with shirts that didn't have military logos and real jeans. Most days I still wore work out shorts though since working out is the only thing I really did in my free time and I didn't have to remove my brace to put on those kind of pants. Still, it had been a while since I wore real clothes. With a sigh I swapped my sleep shirt for a loose fitting black tank top and squeezed my ass into a pair of light jean shorts. It took an extra minute to carefully maneuver around my knee brace, but the slim design of the thing made it not too much of a hassle. Thank you, Wheeljack.

After I stop by the training gym and see whatever the hell it was Tyler wanted me to see this afternoon, I could use the pair of workout clothes in Taylor's locker. She didn't use the gym as much as I did, and offered me her locker since technically I wasn't allowed to have one on my own. It was part of Galloway's plan to try and weed me out. Slowly cut me out of the place by limiting my use of the facilities. At this rate he'd soon say I wasn't allowed to eat in the mess hall. Honestly, that wouldn't surprise me.

As I left the apartment, I grabbed my hair and pulled it up into a messy bun atop my head. The pieces that were too short to stay in the bun immediately fell, but I ignored them entirely. My apartment, along with the others, was built downstairs, but apart from the Cybertronian wings. They were built that way as a means of protection for if the base were ever attacked. The same hallway that had mine, Aubrey's, and the kids' apartments also had a few bunkers as well. Peter, Taylor, and Tyler all shared an apartment, but it was like that only because Taylor was really the only one who used it. Peter spent most nights in Vegas with his family and the nights he did stay here was when he stayed with Taylor. Tyler also had a room in that apartment, but he was also issued a room with the rest of the soldiers in the barracks and he spent most nights there.

The walk from my apartment to the elevator and stairs only took about five minutes, and from there I knew it'd take me another couple minutes to reach the mess hall. At this time, most soldiers would probably be done eating since they usually get up so early to do so.

As predicted, the mess hall was fairly empty with only a few tables still full of people eating. My eyes ghosted over the room until I spotted a few familiar faces at one of the tables in the middle of the room. First things first though, food. I smiled to myself and breezed over to the food line.

Considering this was a military base, I assumed the food would look and taste like garbage. I mean, that was the cliché right? Soldiers eat MREs day in and out? I never would've guessed the cliché would to be wrong though. Sure, the food didn't look spectacular. It was no five star meal, but it usually tasted pretty good. Then again, I really wasn't a picky eater. Food was food.

"Thanks." I said to the woman who filled my tray with eggs, sausage, and hash browns. She replied with a small smile, and I went off with my tray to find my table.

"Morning, Aj." Eli greeted as I sat down next to him. Annabelle sat on his other side with Lex on the other side of her. Across the table from us, was Taylor, Riley, and both Bumblebee and Smokescreen's holoforms. They echoed Eli's greeting and I responded in turn before starting to eat as well.

Smokescreen chuckled, "Well you waste no time, do you?"

I'd throw back a retort, but my cheeks were filled with eggs. Taylor chuckled and turned to the kids, "So what's on the agenda for you guys?"

"Mom says she needs my help in the garage." Lex replied with a shrug, "It shouldn't be too bad today, I think they're bringing in a tank."

Annabelle sighed, "Eli and I are studying for the ACT."

"Oh God, does that test still exist?" I cringed.

"It does and it's the _worst_." She dropped her head down onto the table.

Eli chuckled, "Come on, it won't be so bad. Just think, if you start studying now you'll be ready to take it in August."

"Didn't you just finish your freshman year, Eli?" Riley asked as she rubbed her hands on a napkin and tossed it onto her tray, "Why are you studying already? I didn't crack open a book until way later."

Lex chuckled under her breath, " _Eli's a nerd_."

"I just like to get a head start on things!" Eli argued with a laugh and a smile. The conversation continued for a bit before Riley had to leave for work and Lex walked with her since she had to get ready to work in the garage with Mikaela. Smokescreen went with them too with his arm draped around Lex's shoulder. A little after that Eli and Annabelle excused themselves too leaving just Taylor, Bee, and I.

"So here's a dumb, sensitive question." I blurted, "Lex is…adopted, right?"

Taylor looked at me in amusement, "What gave it away?"

"Ha ha." I replied dryly. Anybody with eyes could see how starkly different the young girl looked from both her parents. "I guess I was just wondering…is there a story there?"

Bumblebee and Taylor shared a quick glance before the mech nodded, "Sure, and it's not a secret really. Lex was…four?" Taylor nodded and he continued, "She was four when her birth parents died in the battle of Chicago." My eyes widened in shock, but Bumblebee didn't stop, "Smokescreen found her in the rubble crying and brought her to safety. She stuck on base with us while we looked for living relatives. Mikaela and Sam took care of her mostly and when they found out Lex had no living relatives, they chose to adopt her."

"Wow." I breathed and let that story sink in. It was silent between us only for a second or two longer then Taylor changed the subject by asking Bumblebee a question. My mind was still hung up on Lex though. Did she remember the battle of Chicago? I've heard so much about that battle. It was probably better if she didn't.

My gaze lifted up from my food, past Taylor and Bumblebee, to the mess hall doors where a familiar face walked in. Cade Yeager. With a gasp, I dropped down and slid under the table in one swift movement. I hadn't talked to the guy since I saw the symbol on his armband. In fact, I avoided him like the plague. To be fair though, even Optimus agreed that might be for the best once I finally got around to telling him about the symbol. He was still here since the military couldn't figure out what the hell was on his arm or what the hell to do with it.

Taylor cleared her throat from above the table, "Um, you're hiding under the table?"

"Shut up." I called back and prayed he hadn't spotted me, "Is Cade still in here?"

"He is." Bumblebee answered, and his tone sounded more understanding now. I felt bad for avoiding the guy, but I couldn't deal with that symbol. It was bad news and it'd be better for everyone if I didn't go near it. Optimus wanted me to touch the thing in front of Ratchet so we could study the effects and figure out what it was and what it was doing, but I wasn't comfortable doing that. Prime understood and wasn't forcing me to either. I think he was just hoping I'd come around. Unfortunately, for the big guy I wasn't the kind of person who easily came around to things.

A few more minutes passed before Taylor spoke, "He's gone."

I cautiously peeked my head over the table in time to see him leaving the mess hall with a tray. Relieved, I slid back up into my seat and ignored the skeptical gazes that both Taylor and Bumblebee shot me.

" _Don't judge_." I shot at them.

Taylor scrunched her eyebrows together, "I just don't get why you're avoiding him. He's a nice guy, and he always asks about you."

"Really?"

She nodded, "I think he still thinks he pissed you off somehow. Did he?"

I sighed and leaned against my hand, "It's nothing like that it's-… It's just hard to explain."

"Whatever you say." Bumblebee smiled and rose from his seat.

I narrowed my eyes at him, "Your tone still sounds kinda judge-y."

His smile grew and he kissed Taylor on top of the head then wished us a farewell. I watched him go before turning my attention back to Taylor who had picked up her phone to look at something.

"Look at you. Always on that phone." I hummed in amusement. Taylor's gaze snapped back up to me and I widened my eyes slightly and shook my head, "Dear God, I sound like an old person. Here I am yelling at youths about their cellular devices."

Taylor giggled, "You aren't old. We're the same age remember?"

I groaned and buried my face into my hands, "That's so much worse."

"Well, you'll be older than us again in four days so there's that." She replied and set her phone down to put all her attention on me, "Speaking of, what do you want for your birthday?"

I scoffed, "Nothing. In fact, it'd be great if we could just let that day pass without brining attention to it at all."

"If you think the mechs are gonna let it slide…."

"They're aliens from another world, what the hell do they know about birthdays?"

Taylor chuckled and stood up, "They've been celebrating with us for 20 years, and they're looking forward to yours. I have to go, but you should swing by the medbay later."

"Why?" I questioned.

"Is it too much to ask my favorite aunt to come visit me?"

I narrowed my eyes at her, "Oh, and I'm sure this visit has nothing to do with Cade 'I have this mysterious alien artifact on my arm' Yeager."

"Maybe." Taylor hummed. She shrugged, "He only talks to me, Ratchet, and any guy Lennox sends to interrogate him right now. You were his only ally, Aj, and now he's alone." I felt my gaze drift away from hers guiltily. She wasn't wrong. I knew that, but going back to see him meant facing a fear that I didn't think I was quite ready to fully face yet. Taylor shrugged, "I'm sure you have your reasons, Aj. Just think about it though."

She left the table and I went back to the food I had been neglecting.

* * *

Lennox had more work to do than he could even believe. Things had just stacked up the last few days, and with Galloway being on and off base lately it just made things a million times worse. Despite, being drowning in paperwork and bureaucratic red tape he couldn't seem to focus his attention on a bit of it at the moment.

"They've kept me on hold for the past thirty minutes an- oh! Hi! Yes, I'm Aubrey Lennox." His wife's slightly irritated voice smoothed back into her usual friendly, kind tone. "I'm just trying to confirm my reservation." Lennox chuckled to himself as Aubrey's face lit up with excitement at whatever the person on the other line was saying. "Thank you so much. I really appreciate it."

She hung up the phone and began to scribble on the checklist in front of her. She was working with a scrap of paper and pencil and her lips were pursed in concentration as she double-checked that every task she needed to do was done. Lennox couldn't help but admire the way strands of her hair fell out of her loose ponytail and hung in her face. Aubrey's presence has always had a calming effect to his soul. No matter how crazy things were, no matter how fast things were moving, or how quickly shit was going south, her touch alone seemed to bring him back down to Earth.

"Hey." He said softly and she glanced up from her work. He smiled, "Come here."

Aubrey didn't hesitate to set her pencil down and walk around the desk to where he sat. As she got closer Lennox reached out and intertwined his hand with hers. She sat in his lap in response.

Lennox felt his heart swell in love as Aubrey leaned her forehead against his. Their noses brushed against each other as their lips drew closer.

"I love you." Aubrey whispered. Her lips brushed against his with every word.

"Love you more." He replied before pressing his lips against hers fully. It was moments like this when everything felt right in the world.

* * *

I stood outside the doors to the upper medbay nervously. Taylor's words had stuck with me. It wasn't fair that I was letting my fear hurt this guy. He seemed like a good guy and he already had enough stacked against him. The least I could do was ease his conscious so he didn't think I hated him or something.

The boots on my feet rocked back and forth on the metal grate I stood on as my front teeth dug into my lower lip. I didn't have to touch the artifact or even mention it. I was here to strictly apologize for avoiding him and try to make amends.

With one last sigh, I pressed forward into the white hallway that led to the human med room I had spent my first days here in. As I reached the open doorway the sound of Ratchet's voice reach my ears and I spotted Cade sitting at the edge of the bed with his gaze focused slightly upwards.

"-it's a minor fix, really." Ratchet finished and his head turned to focus on me, "Youngling, what are you doing here?"

I tore my eyes away from him to look at Cade who was staring at me with wide eyes. I gave him a soft, apologetic smile, "I'd say I hope I wasn't interrupting anything, but it's Ratchet talking. I'm probably saving you from a boring ass conversation."

Cade laughed with a shake of his head and Ratchet scoffed loudly. The mech waved his hand at me dismissively. He muttered something in Cybertronian and stalked away.

I crossed my arms and watched Cade slowly stand up from the bed. He wore plain jeans and a simple t-shirt. He nodded, "Didn't expect to see you here."

"Yeah, I thought I'd come say hello."

"Could've said hello this morning instead of ducking under that table."

My face warmed in embarrassment and I glanced down at my feet, "You uh, you saw that?"

He stepped forward and I glanced back up, "It was hard to miss."

"I'm really sorry about that." I sighed and shook my head. The guilt was really hitting hard now, "I panicked to be honest."

"Did I give you a reason to panic?" Cade asked, "If I did, I'm really sorry. You helped me out and I didn't mean to spook you if I did."

"It wasn't like that, I swear. It was a personal thing. You did nothing."

"Ok, good. I've been meaning to find you and talk to you, but Ratchet said you didn't handle that type of thing well."

"What kind of thing?" I asked curiously.

"Being chased down and forced to talk about something you didn't want to talk about." Cade answered with an amused smile.

I couldn't help but chuckle, "That's…That's accurate, I guess."

"You wanna sit down?" He motioned to the bed, "I don't get a lot of company these days. At least, I don't get company with people who wanna talk about things other than this damn artifact on my arm."

I tried not to flinch when he lifted his arm as he said 'alien artifact'. Instead, I walked over and sat down on the bed. He chose to sit in the seat beside the bed across from me. I gave him a grin, "How's your daughter?"

"She's good." He laced his fingers together as his elbows rested on his knees, "I don't get to talk to her as often as I like, but she's safe. That's all that matters."

"I'm glad she's safe. Sorry, what's her name again?"

"Tessa."

For the next hour or so the two of us just sat in the room talking about any random topic that came to mind. He told me more about his life back home and I told him basically as little about me as I could without being rude. If he noticed my lack of history sharing he didn't point it out which I was grateful for. It wasn't like I wanted to keep everything single thing from him, but most of my life was pretty under wraps these days.

"I haven't seen Bear with you in a while."

"Yeah", I twisted my lips in distaste, "He's been out on a mission for the past few days. He's supposed to be back soon though. I got used to him sleeping at the end of my bed, it's too quiet without him now."

"I bet. I used to have a dog that- ah!" Cade's face twisted in pain as he hunched forward suddenly.

I jumped out of bed and set a hand on his shoulder in worry, "Cade?" He hissed in pain again, "Ratchet!?"

The sound of Ratchet coming over quickly occurred at the same time as some sort of alarm. It wasn't a base wide alarm, it was from the monitors in the medbay. Cade screamed out in pain as his other arm reached out and clutched the artifact on his arms, "Shit, it burns!"

Ratchet's holoform was suddenly beside both of us, but I could only focus on the sick feeling that had risen in my gut. Something was wrong. The hairs on the back of my arms and neck stood up and it felt like electricity was crawling across my skin. A high pitch tone filled my ears and I flinched.

"Ratch do you hear that?" I cried.

"Leave the room, youngling." Ratchet barked back. The artifact around Cade's arm began to glow and that sinking feeling hit rock bottom. On gut instinct, I moved my hand off Cade to shove Ratchet. He stumbled backwards and fell on his ass just as I heard a loud pop and my sight went black.

* * *

Taylor had been standing on one of the berths watching the monitors in worry as Ratchet tried to salvage the situation at hand. Energy levels had skyrocketed all of a sudden and none of it made sense.

"Ratch do you hear that?!" She heard Aj yell. All Taylor could hear was the sounds of the monitor alarms and Cade screaming in pain. She tried to silence a few of the alarms. It was all she could do from this position.

"Leave the room, youngling." Ratchet ordered and Taylor wasn't surprised to see her aunt not move an inch. She was surprised to see Aj shove Ratchet back all of a sudden. Just as she did that there was a loud pop, like a crack of electricity, and she was thrown a foot backwards onto her back when a wall of invisible energy slammed into her.

Taylor gasped as she tried to suck in the air that was knocked out of her from the blow. The remaining alarms had shut off on their own and the room was silent. She sat up and her eyes landed on Ratchet's holoform, which was glitching oddly. Aj and Cade were nowhere to be seen. Panic flooded her system as she grabbed her phone out of her pocket and hit the emergency button that Wheeljack had programmed into all of their phones.

"Taylor? What's wrong?" Wheeljack's voice crackled over her phone. She was sure multiple mechs were on their way here already.

"Jack." Taylor's voice cracked, "Ratchet's hurt I think and Aj is- Jack, Aj is gone. She's just gone."


	12. Chapter 12

_A/N: This one is decently long. 10,000 words or so, so there we go. Kind of getting back on track. I'm on summer vacay so let's hope this writing trend sticks. Thanks for the reviews as per usual! I'll be more active on FF now so if you shoot me a message I'll actually be able to reply haha. I have a new email though, it's on my profile, if you send one to my old one I won't get it fyi. Also this is a two part chapter so be aware of that. K thx, leave me reviews and love (or hate if you feel that's necessary I guess lol)._

* * *

Chapter Twelve:

Getting Lost

* * *

 _"And if you've never felt your soul being torn apart, you've never loved anyone with all your heart." –Reginaldo Kilas_

* * *

Falling.

 _Don't breathe. Don't breathe. Don't breathe._

My body hit the water and the pain stunned me into darkness.

 _Don't breathe. Don't breathe. Don't breathe._

Sinking.

My eyes fluttered open, but everything was a hazy blur. Water surrounded me and I could feel myself sinking further and further into the depths, but I had no energy to try and swim upwards towards the beams of light that cut through the body of water I had fallen into.

A dark figure entered my line of vision, it swam toward me, and when it got about ten feet away I recognized the face. It was the devil. His dark brown reddish eyes bore into me as his longer hair swam around him. He smiled as he drew closer and I found the energy in me to struggle against the water, but it was to no avail.

He reached out his arm, but inches before he reached me his shape changed. It was no longer the devil that goaded me into killing Boss. It was Cade with worry in his eyes. He was reaching out to me; he was trying to save me.

I pushed my own arm out to grab his hand, and the moment my skin touched his a sharp pain filled my mind and I gasped for air only to find cold water rushing down my windpipe.

Pain and darkness ensued.

* * *

The medbay was chaotic, and Wheeljack was sure that the entire base would quickly fall into madness as well once the news began to spread. He could hear Sideswipe arguing with Ironhide in Cybertronian while Aubrey frantically tried to pry more information from Taylor who was just as confused as everyone else. Wheeljack had to block all the background noise out though. One step at a time, and the first step involved getting Ratchet back online. An energy blast had occurred, that much was certain. Every mech and femme on base could feel it, but Ratchet took the brunt of it. It just knocked him into stasis thankfully, but it also managed to glitch his entire holoform program.

"Ratchet?" Wheeljack pressed as the mech's optics began to come back online. The medic was startled, but the engineer pressed his arm into his best friend's chassis to keep him down, "You are alright. Remain calm."

Ratchet groaned and shook his helm, "What the frag happened?"

"We were hoping you could tell us, old friend." Optimus answered for him. Wheeljack stood up and offered his servo to Ratchet who took it without hesitation. The medbay quieted down in order to hear what Ratchet had to say.

"I…I don't know." Ratchet admitted, crestfallen. He turned to stare at the human berth with worry. Wheeljack glanced around the room to see everyone had paused in confusion. Sideswipe had given up on his argument with Ironhide and was now with his brother. They shared looks that meant they had to be conversing in private. Jazz had stopped pacing the back of the room to stare at Ratchet. Aubrey held back a sob, her face buried in her hands, as Lennox and Taylor tried to comfort her.

"Ironhide." Optimus spoke and the mech snapped his attention to the CO, "More are on their way. Keep them from the medbay for now." Ironhide nodded and left while Optimus turned to Jazz, "Get to Blaster in the control room. Start searching for her signal. _Now_."

Jazz rushed away without a word. Ratchet was the next to speak, he was shaking his helm again, "I can't feel her over the bond."

He wasn't wrong. Seconds after the blast went off, the bond with Aj went quiet again. Wheeljack couldn't feel her emotions; he couldn't feel her at all.

"Ratchet." Sideswipe's voice was low and dangerous. Wheeljack could see how close they were to coming unraveled. Their eyes had grown a shade too dark, and Sunstreaker's armor was slightly starting to rattle against his protoform.

" _My youngling_." Ratchet spoke in cybertronian.

Sideswipe crossed the room in quick strides and grabbed the medic by his shoulders, "She's fine. She has to be. She's out there and she needs us to find her, Ratchet. Snap out of it."

Ratchet closed his optics and vented in a deep breath. Sunstreaker stormed out of the room and Sideswipe didn't give him a parting glance. The medic opened his optics again and the steel and fire that always seemed to fill him was back.

"I saw something before the blast." Ratchet turned to the computer and activated one of the screens. Wheeljack stepped closer, as did Optimus, while Ratchet hooked himself up to the machinery. He pulled up a picture from his core memory banks and focused in on a glowing red symbol. "These symbols."

Optimus stiffened beside Wheeljack, the engineer noted, as Sideswipe pointed to the screen, "I know those. _Aj_ knows those. Those are the same symbols she had me translate for her back in her own universe."

"What do they mean?" Lennox questioned. He gave his wife one last look of worry while Taylor tried to usher her out of the medbay.

Sideswipe crossed his arms, his entire body was still tense and on edge, "Magnanimity, Birthright, and Conscious." Lennox narrowed his eyes and Sideswipe let out an annoyed grunt, "We don't know the significance of it yet."

Optimus turned away from the screen and rested his servo on the back of his helm in frustration.

"Prime?" Wheeljack questioned. All attention darted to the regal mech.

Ratchet stepped forward, "Optimus, if you know something-"

"There is much I need to share." Optimus replied gravely, "Call a conference. Limit attendance."

* * *

Fire could be seen in any direction I turned in. Gunfire and smoke filled the air around me, but I couldn't tell where I was. The ground was scorched and bare. It was a warzone. My eyes followed the closest movement to me. A human shaped figure covered in armor. Was it a smaller Cybertronian? I took a step forward and the figure snapped his head to the side to look at me. It wore a helmet with a glass facemask I couldn't see through. I got the distinct vibe that this was not a Cybertronian. It was human, but he didn't belong here.

The odd human glanced around him, as if looking for something, but his eyes glazed over me as if I wasn't even there. He then opened a metal latch on his thigh to reveal a pocket. He pulled out a very familiar looking talisman and my eyes widened in surprise. It glowed red and he disappeared in a snap. I heard a crackle of electricity behind me and whipped around to see him standing before a metal wall shredded with bullet holes and scorch marks.

I walked closer to watch as the talisman began to vibrate in his hand. It glowed red briefly again before the wall opened revealing a strange metal staff of some sort.

The figure grabbed it and turned around. The staff began to glow in his hand and as it did his shoulders stiffened. He stepped toward me, and this time it was like he was staring right at me. He tilted his head then quickly shook it.

"Aimee?"

 _"Come on, come on, stay with me."_

The figure stepped even closer, "Aimee? Is that you?"

 _"Come on, please!"_

Everything around me disappeared. Pain flooded my system as water came rushing out of my lungs. Someone grabbed my shoulders and turned me just as I began to hack and cough out every drop of liquid I could.

"Oh, thank God." Cade breathed in my ear. I sucked in a breath of air as my throat burned. Exhaustion hit me all of a sudden as Cade turned me back around to look me in the eyes, "Hey, don't black out on me. We aren't in a good spot."

Despite his words my eyes closed and I felt my body grow limp.

I reopened my eyes, but this time Cade wasn't in front of me and the light had grown dimmer. I was inside somewhere. How much time had passed? Slowly, I pushed myself up as another round of coughs left my lips. It made my aching chest hurt even more. All around me was dust and rubble and the walls surrounding me look gutted and broken.

Rushed footsteps made me spin around in fear, but it was just Cade hurrying toward me. He was damp with water, as was I, but he held one finger up to his lips in the universal ' _be quiet'_ sign. I tried to hold back the coughs as best I could but it was difficult.

"Are you alright?" He whispered.

I shook my head, "What the hell is happening?"

Cade sighed, "I-I have no idea what happened or how we got here."

"Where exactly is here?"

He paused before replying, "We're in Austin."

" _Austin_!?" I cried out loudly in shock. Cade lunged forward and slapped his hand over my mouth. He turned his head around to look out the broken window front of whatever building we were in. A second passed before the sound of an eerie transformation filled the air. It wasn't the kind from my 'bots either. A golden set of legs slid into view. Rather than have normal feet it rolled on two wheels, as its shimmery paint job seemed to glow under the Texas sun. We were goners. Any second now that drone was going to kneel down, see me, and blast me away. Poor Cade was going to end up being collateral damage.

I struggled against Cade's arms in a poor attempt to make some distance between us. Maybe, just maybe, I could be the only one that gets vaporized by some drone's cannon.

Cade wasn't having it though. He equated my movement strictly as fear from the drone and wrapped his arms around me tightly. A few more seconds passed, each one dragging on for eternity, before the drone just continued to roll away. My eyes widened in shock and Cade slowly pulled his hand away.

"Are you ok?"

"It…It was a drone." I mumbled in confusion. Why hadn't it jumped at the chance of killing me? I was blasting a Cybertronian signal that could be seen for miles all around. "I don't get it."

Cade set his hand on my back in comfort, "Austin is a hive." Now he was confused on what I was confused about. He thought I didn't know what was going on. "It's got Protector bots crawling everywhere. Whatever happened to us had us falling out of the sky and into the river, it cuts right through the city." He glanced out the window once more before looking back to me, "I carried you to the closest shelter I could find, but two of them have been circling our area since."

"We should be dead, Cade." I stated simply.

He narrowed his eyes at me and pulled his hand away, "Hey, we aren't going to die. I have too much to go home to and you-"

"No." I interrupted him, "I don't mean that in a negative, defeated way. I mean, I don't understand how the drone didn't see me."

Cade paused in thought, "I'm not following."

A moment of hesitation passed. Did I want to tell him the truth? Not really, but we were both stuck up shit creek with no paddle so I guess I didn't really have another option. I sighed, "This is going to be hard to understand, but I'm not from this universe."

He blinked once, twice, a third time, "What?"

"I'm from a different universe and that's where I originally met the Autobots and some Decepticons. It caused me and…and a few others to soak up their energy. Because of this I give off an energy signal and that energy signal _screams_ Cybertronian. The drones are usually able to pick that up and since their mission in life is ' _kill all things Cybertronian'_ ….Do you get what I'm saying?"

Cade didn't reply. He stared at me a second longer before shaking his head, "You were unconscious for too long. I don't think you hit your head, but it couldn't have been healthy. I had to perform CPR to get you back this must be-"

"I'm _not_ delusional!" I snapped back with hands outstretched in frustration. The movements made a sharp pain flash across my chest. I glanced down to see the beginning of dark purple bruises starting to blossom. He had said he did CPR. I lifted my hand to try and feel if any ribs were cracked or broken, but I couldn't tell much.

"I had no choice. You had no pulse." Cade replied quietly.

I looked back up at him, "I know. Thank you for saving me." He nodded and I sucked in a shaky breath, "And now I need to save you. You have to get away from me Cade. The moment they pick up my signal, I'm toast."

"If you aren't crazy, and I'm still counting that as a big ' _if'_ ", He glanced out the window, "They didn't pick up on you now, why would that suddenly change?"

"Rather safe than sorry, right?"

"No." Cade said firmly, "I'm not leaving you and you aren't leaving me. We're in this together. We're going to _survive_ this together." He stood up and offered me a hand to help me up as well, "Your friends are looking for us. They'll come and find us."

I bit my lip, "If the drones cant see my energy signature… I don't think the Autobots can either."

* * *

Time had passed, maybe an hour if I had to guess, but nothing had changed. We searched the small building we were trapped in, but found nothing of use. There was no food or water or medical supplies or weapons. Cade found a loose pipe in the corner, but I seriously doubted that was going to help us much against a fucking drone.

Luckily, the golden drone hadn't passed as many times as he did prior. A silver one, identical to the gold, passed only once as well and seeing it put a sick feeling in my stomach. Two matching wanna be mechs?

"How much do you know about the drones we've been seeing?"

Cade walked over from across the room and sat down beside me. We both faced the broken glass window front. "Decent amount. They used to play the commercials for all of them on repeat, and the inventor in me appreciated the idea of them. Up until they lost their shit." He paused briefly, "The gold one is called Midas and the other is Silverstreak. They always work together and-"

"They're based off Sideswipe and Sunstreaker, aren't they?"

Cade nodded, "Yeah. That's the yellow and red mech back on base, right?"

I sighed and crossed my arms. It'd be ironic if the twins' drones were the one to squish me into the pavement. I wondered how the twins were right now. I wondered how they all were. If they couldn't read my energy signal did that mean the bond was affected? Either they could feel my emotion over the bond and just couldn't figure out where I was, or worse they couldn't see either.

"It's going to be alright." Cade tried to give me more comfort. I offered him a small smile in return, but my eyes caught sight of a red glow beneath his t-shirt sleeve. He followed my gaze and shot up to his feet with a curse, "Shit, stay back."

"Cade!" I stepped toward him. The ringing came back and electricity filled the air. There was a loud snap and suddenly the scenery around us changed. The building we hid in was gone, and now we stood in the middle of an abandoned Austin road. The buildings were either falling apart or demolished and foliage seemed to grow from the rubble. Cars were overturned or empty hulls of what they once were.

"What the fuck?" Cade grabbed the talisman with his other hand and tried to pry it off.

A thought dawned on me. If this was the same talisman I saw in that death induced dream could it be following a similar function? We still didn't know what the damn thing was, but it had teleported the guy in my fever dream too. It led him to the glowing magic stick thing.

"Cade, I think-"

My words were interrupted as Silverstreak wheeled around a building to face us. He was at the end of the street, a good distance away, but it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that the drone could get to us in seconds.

"Aj, run." Cade grabbed my arm and we took off. I could hear the drone coming after us, it barreled down the street toward us.

Cade and I slipped down an alley in hopes that it wouldn't be able to follow. We came out the other end of the alley onto the street next door and continued to sprint away. However, Silverstreak apparently wasn't deterred by our plan and basically rushed through the two shorter buildings that made the alley. They exploded behind us in rubble and debris and I let out a cry as chunks of rock flew by us. Cade cursed again and we ducked down another alley, this time between two larger buildings, but before we could rush out the other end a large golden body blocked our path.

We came to a screeching halt and whipped around to see Silverstreak standing at the opposite end. We were trapped. They couldn't fit into the alley, but all they needed to do was pull out some sort of gun and we were toast. Cade was tense behind me and I could see his mind racking for a new plan. I slipped my hand into his and gave it a tight squeeze. He glanced at me and I knew we shared a similar thought.

 _'At least we're not alone.'_

Midas' arm began to shift and metal cubes began to swirl around it until it formed a nasty looking cannon. He aimed it down into the alley and I felt myself grow sick as it began to charge up.

The sound of the weapon firing went off, but instead of being vaporized I watched as Midas was blown out of sight. Hope swelled in my chest. The Autobots were here. They had to be. Instead of seeing one of my mechs step into view though a little girl stood at the end of the alley.

"What the fuck are you waiting for!?" She screamed as she motioned toward herself. Her black braid whipped around, " _Run_!"

I sprinted forward with Cade's hand still in mine. My eyes widened as a sea foam green femme stepped up behind the little girl, she must have stood a few feet below Flare-Up's height. The femme lifted her cannon again and fired over our head. I heard it make contact with Silverstreak just as we reached the girl.

The femme suddenly transformed, a real transformation, and formed a sea foam hard top jeep. All it's doors popped open and we all clamored in. The femme sped off just as Midas started to rise again. Cade and I were in the backseat as the little girl sat in the passenger's seat. I turned around to see Midas crumble into cubes that quickly formed a golden Lamborghini.

"We can't outrun that." Cade shook his head.

"We don't have to." The girl snapped. Her dark eyes flashed in anger before she ignored us entirely, "Come on, Moonracer! Go!"

"I'm going as fast as I can, Izabella." A female voice echoed from the speakers.

I gripped the sides as Moonracer whipped around another corner onto two wheels. We were on an open stretch of road now and Midas was picking up speed with Silverstreak right behind him. They were inching closer and closer, their engines revving loudly and violently.

"There!" Izabella screamed.

"Hold on!" Moonracer added.

Before Cade or I could even question what was happening Moonracer raced across a bridge. Right as she reached the end the entire thing exploded catching the drones in the flames. It also managed to send Moonracer flying forward through the air. Everyone in the cabin was screaming and it matched Moonracer's own scream over the speakers. Her tires hit the road shaking us all violently. The jeep wobbled as she tried to keep us from flipping and she only barely managed to be successful. She didn't slow down though. She sped forward taking turns that she had memorized.

I turned to Cade who was groaning and clutching his head. Blood dripped between his fingers. I reached for his hand and pulled it away to see the corner of his eyebrow had been busted open. He must have hit it against the window.

"You alright?" I pressed.

"Shit." He twisted his face in annoyance briefly, but then gave me a forced comforting smile, "I'll live. Hell of a fucking day though."

I chuckled in agreement and turned forward to see the little girl staring at us. Her tan skin was covered in a layer of grime and sweat. She wore a tank top and jeans with a scarf and goggles wrapped around her neck. Around her shoulders was a book bag. She couldn't have been older than 12.

"Kid, who are you?"

"That's what I should be asking you." She snapped back, "What the _hell_ are you doing here?" I blinked in surprise and shared a confused look with Cade. She snapped again, "We're in the middle of something important right now and you two _dumbasses_ show up in the middle of downtown? And you catch the attention of a Midas and Silverstreak bot? Stupid!"

I shook my head and mumbled to Cade, "What the fuck is happening?"

He shrugged, "I think we're being cursed out by lil' Jaylo here, but maybe I just hit my head harder than I thought."

The transformer was the next to speak, "Izabella, stop. You're being rude to our guests."

"You're an Autobot aren't you?" I leaned forward in my seat and watched the steering wheel move on its own accord. The familiar symbol sat at the dead center of the wheel.

"Yes, I am." She replied, "My designation is Moonracer."

The little girl spoke, "And I'm Izabella. Izabella with a Z."

"I don't care if it's with a Z, an emoji, or a dollar sign." Cade scoffed, "What the hell is going on and where are your parents?"

"She is with me." Moonracer replied rather forcefully.

"Look", I tried to get things back in our court, "I'm Aj and this is my friend Cade." I ignored the glare ' _Izabella with a Z'_ was still giving me, "I'm also friends with Optimus Prime. I need to get in touch with him can you help me?"

There were a lot of replies she could've given me that I would've expected, but instead she said the one thing I never would've guessed.

"I'm sorry who? I'm not familiar with that designation."

Who the fuck didn't know who Optimus Prime was? Especially a Cybertronian. He was the king/general/hero of the universe. There was an awkward pause where nobody spoke. The silence was interrupted by the crackling of a walkie talkie. Izabella dug one out of her bag and spoke into it, "Repeat. Over."

 _"We heard an explosion. You two ok? Over."_

"Moonracer and I are fine. We just found two _idiots_ picking a fight with Midas and Silverstreak. Over."

"Kid." I snapped in frustration, "I'm really not in the mood for you right now."

 _"They dead? Over."_

"No." She replied, "We're bringing them to base now. Over."

Cade shifted forward, "Base?"

"We're rebels." Izabella stated proudly.

I raised an eyebrow at her, "You're a _child_."

"I'm 14!"

"Yeah", I scoffed, "Maybe in dog years."

Moonracer came to a sudden, jerking halt and the doors flung open. I turned at the movement, but before I could say or do anything a bag went over my head. I cried out and struggled against whoever was holding me.

"Let me go! Aj!"

I was dragged out of my seat. There was shifting and whoever was doing this pulled closer to my right side. I could hear their breaths and feel their body. Quickly, I threw my elbow back and felt it make contact with some part of their face. There was a cry of pain as their grip loosened and I ripped off the bag.

Taking in my surroundings took no time. There was a guy on the ground clutching his nose, and another was slowly approaching me. Cade was wrestling against his captors, but he had two on him from the start. Guess they thought I'd be the weakest link.

"We're not going to hurt you." The guy said just before rushing me. He lunged for me and I ducked out of the way so I was behind him. Before he could turn around I lifted my braced leg kicked him in the back. He went sprawling a good five feet in front of me and I couldn't help but smirk. This brace would've been helpful back when I was stuck in the ring.

I turned and tried to run over to get the guys off Cade, but I only got a few steps away when the jeep transformed and I was suddenly pinned to the ground by a large hand.

"I would not advise that." Moonracer spoke.

It was only then I noticed the details of this femme. Her features were petite and of course her eyes were a glowing soft, blue. However my eyes were drawn to the blackened hole on the side of her head. She was damaged, and badly. From the looks of it she had been for a while.

"That giant hole the reason why you can't remember Prime?"

Moonracer didn't reply and the guys I had hit came back over and slipped the bag back over my head. There was no fighting my way out of a Cybertronian hand.

* * *

The room was filled with holoforms. Granted, nobody wanted to be in a holoform at the moment, but this meeting was on a need to know basis, which meant they had to keep it as private as possible. Even the Autobot's personal level wasn't enough for this. In the beginning, Optimus and Wes Williams had planned a room that wasn't on the initial blueprints for the UHAC design. It was made for secret meetings such as this and no government official would be able to access it. Mostly because the only way one could gain access to the room was by holoform. There were no windows or doors for a human to enter.

Secret Agent Wes was a paranoid guy and he saw fit that the Autobots might one day need a room where they could have meetings privy only to them and no listening device or human. Primus bless him and may he rest in peace.

Jazz leaned against the wall as Optimus, Ratchet, Prowl, and Wheeljack sat at the table. Bumblebee, Bluestreak, and Sideswipe stood around the table. Those who went to the other universe attended this meeting.

He had heard everything Optimus had to say, but wrapping his processors around it was a whole other story. It almost seemed too ridiculous to seem true, but Optimus believed it and Aj was no liar.

"She told you all of this?" Ratchet questioned. His holoform was still malfunctioning. Every minute or so his holoform's hair would go from one color to another. At the moment it was fire truck red. It would be hilarious if it wasn't happening at the same time of all this. Optimus nodded.

"Do we know anything about this symbol?" Prowl spoke. "Any information at all?"

"No." Prime's holoform shook his helm, "I've been looking into it and none of the searches have come up with anything."

"Did you check-" Prowl continued, but Optimus cut him off.

"The Prime's data has nothing on this as well."

So basically they had no answers and now they had more questions. Jazz could feel the frustration well up in him and he felt his holoform shimmer in and out as he lost focus. It was no wonder Sunstreaker couldn't even get his holoform to show. Jazz swallowed the emotions he felt though and tried to calm himself down. Lashing out would help nothing, but Sideswipe apparently didn't share that same sentiment.

"Well, now what?" He snapped.

"Sideswipe." Prowl tried to calm him.

"I don't give two slags about the Defenders or that stupid symbol! We have no answers on it now, which mean it is fragging useless to us. It's a dead end and we need a new solution to finding Aj!" His holoform roared. It was moments like this when anger consumed Sideswipe that he looked most like his brother in Jazz's opinion.

Jazz pushed himself off the wall, "Losin' your cool an' losin' your focus ain't gonna help anyone, mech."

Sideswipe stepped toward him with a glare and motioned toward his holoform, "Does it look like I'm losing focus? I'm _here_."

"Enough." Ratchet snapped with a head full of green hair. "This doesn't help us either."

Optimus cleared his throat, "The symbol is a dead end for now. Wheeljack her phone?"

"Damaged." Wheeljack shook his head, "I can't triangulate a signal. I don't know what could've happened to it."

"Did Blaster find anything?"

Jazz looked away from Sideswipe, "No, he didn't."

Optimus heaved a sigh and rubbed his face with his hands, "Can we trace the energy from the blast? See what happened?"

"I'm going to try." Ratchet replied and stood. His holoform disappeared and Wheeljack's followed suite. Sideswipe left next without a word, but the others didn't leave until Optimus gave them a quick order or dismissed them.

Now it was only him and the Prime.

"Jazz?"

"How do we know the blast sent her somewhere at all?" He asked darkly. He spoke the words that had been haunting his processors since the moment he could no longer feel Aj over the bond.

Optimus narrowed his eyes briefly before shaking his head, "Have faith, Jazz. Have faith."

* * *

My hands were tied behind my back as I sat in what felt like a wooden chair. Wherever they had taken us, it was located inside. I could no longer feel the sun on my skin. There were also more people here. I could faintly here the buzz of conversation hanging in the space around me.

The bag was ripped off and it took a second for my eyes to get adjusted to the artificial light. To my side, in the same condition as me, was Cade. He caught my eye and raised an eyebrow in question. I nodded and his gaze softened slightly.

We both turned to look ahead to see a man standing in front of us as his lackeys stood on my left and Cade's right. The guy had his arms crossed in front of him His hair was salt and peppered and close to his scalp in tight curls. The goatee around his mouth was also gray and black in color.

"Now what do we have here?" He sung.

I ignored him and examined the room we were in. It looked like a giant bunker with tall concrete walls and a matching ceiling and floor. There were flood lamps all around to provide light and tents lined the room. Random people, men, children, and women, went about their day in this weird ass bunker as if me and Cade weren't being questioned by some weirdo.

"I am talking to you two!"

"Who the hell are you?" Cade spat back. As much as the guy in front of us tried I just wasn't getting a threatening vibe from him.

"Me?" He chuckled, "Oh I'm your worst nightmare." I rolled my eyes, but he continued, "I am in charge of this misfit band of rebels and I'm going to ask you again. What do we have here?"

I shook my head, "What answer do you even want from that question?"

"Sir?" The guy next to me spoke and I glanced up to realize it was the guy I had kicked, "The gear she has on is rather dangerous. Should we remove it?"

The weirdo leader nodded once and the guy beside me bent down in front of me. There was no way they could get it off without just ripping my leg off. The only ones who could work it were Ratchet, Wheeljack, and I think Taylor for emergencies. Even Sunstreaker who had the blueprints memorized didn't have the tools to remove it. Regardless, I wasn't happy with him even touching it. So I lifted my free foot and kicked him in the face sending him sprawling back.

"Jerry!" Another guy cried and helped his fallen friend up.

The leader rolled his eyes, "Get out of here." They rushed away and he stepped forward, "My name is Agent Simmons."

Cade shook his head, "What?"

"There's no way you're an agent of anything, dude." I added, "You're wearing track pants and, no offense, you've kinda got crazy eyes."

"Oh, I've got crazy eyes? I have crazy eyes?" He cried, "Maybe I have crazy eyes because two very suspicious people showed up on the _exact_ day I plan to shut down the Austin hive!"

"Shut down the- You can't shut down the hive!" Cade snapped. "The Government has been trying to do that since KSI lost control. Even the Autobots can't get near it."

Simmons shook his head, "Look around, pretty boy. I am more than _near_ it, I am _in_ it."

"Simmons!" A voice roared. Seconds later a man in ragged suit pants and a tank top rushed by us. His shaved head glistened under the flood lights with sweat and he had to push his glasses up his nose once before continuing to yell, "What are you doing? What are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing?"

The two took a few steps away to start bickering to themselves. What the hell kind of shit show were we kidnapped by? Cade leaned over as much as he could, "That's Joshua Joyce."

"Who?"

"Joshua Joyce." He repeated, "He's the guy that created the Protector Bots." My eyes widened as anger began to well up in me. Cade continued on, "I thought he was dead, but I guess he just disappeared? After all this shit it doesn't surprise me."

I stood up with my hands still tied behind my back. These guys were seriously shitty at this kidnapping thing. Cade rose as well and stood close in worry, but I was ready to be on a rampage, "You stupid, slagging idiot!"

Joshua Joyce and Simmons turned to stare at us. Simmons scoffed, "Who tied these two up!? I swear, nothing gets done right around here unless I-"

"You created the Protector Bots!?" I yelled.

His face fell slightly, but he quickly recovered and shook his head, "Welcome to the party. You're just now hearing this? Have you lived under a rock?"

"After what you did, I should-"

Cade took a half step in front of me and turned to face me. He shook his head, "Everyone wants to beat the guy senseless, Aj. That isn't going to help us right now."

"No, but it'd make me feel a hell of a lot better." I replied, "The shit this guy put my mechs through!"

Simmons narrowed his eyes, "Your mechs?"

"That's right, bitch. When my guardian finds out you kidnapped me? Boy, are y'all in for a world of hurt." I lied. It wasn't totally a lie. If Ratchet found out I was being treated like this he'd blow a gasket. Hell there would be a line of Cybertronians ready to fight. However, there was no way they had any way to find me so…

"Guardian." Simmons hummed, "I knew a kid before. He had a guardian. Funnily enough, he was a pain in the ass just like you."

His words sparked familiarity in me. I recognized this weirdo. He was older now, but I knew him. I pushed past Cade, "Agent Simmons of Sector 7. You know Sam Witwicky."

Simmons pushed past Joyce with a wild grin and reached out for me. Cade, arms still tied behind him, glared at Simmons and didn't let him get closer, "Back the hell off. You touch her and it'll be the last thing you do, hear me?"

"Hey, hey, hey." Simmons held up his hand, "I'm not gonna hurt your little girlfriend. I just wanna know who her guardian is."

"As far as you're concerned, my guardian might as well be Optimus fucking Prime." I replied sharply.

Joyce cleared his throat, "Can you get in touch with any of the Autobots?"

"Why?"

Joyce and Simmons shared a look before Simmons pulled a knife out of his pocket. He flipped it open and Cade tensed. Simmons used his free hand to motion for us to turn around. Cade and I shared a quick glance before doing so. Simmons quickly cut our ties.

"We have a plan to get into the KSI headquarters and turn off the Protector Bots here in Austin for good, and if we can be successful here we can do it everywhere." Joyce explained, "If we had some Autobot help this late in the game, well none of us would complain."

I was skeptical to say the least. According to Optimus and all of them it couldn't be done, and yet these two bozos thought they could do what NEST and the others can't.

"Can you do it or not you little miscreant?" Simmons questioned and Cade glared at him again.

I scoffed, "I call my mechs here to fight and they get ambushed by a shit ton of drones? I don't think so. How do I know you idiots even have a plan?"

"Oh we have a plan." Simmons nodded. I waited for him to continue, but he didn't add on. I lifted my hands in question and he let out a barking laugh, "You think I'm about to share our top secret plan with-"

"I get inside my building and I can hack into them and potentially turn them off." Joyce said and Simmons looked betrayed that the man would even say a word to me let alone give me their entire idea.

"They lost control and grew a mind of their own. That was the whole issue." Cade crossed his arms, "You're telling me all it would take is for you to walk in your own building and turn them off? Are you shitting me?"

Joyce shook his head, "I've developed a code in the last year. I'm not sure if it will work, but it's the best option we have."

"How sure are you that this will work?" I asked softly. He didn't sound confident, but he also had a point. I wasn't doing much on base. All I'd do is sit around and hear about the problems the people I cared about were having to deal with. One of those larger problems was the drones. If there was even a slight chance that something could be done about them then I needed to help.

"I'm…I'm pretty sure." Joyce shrugged.

"Then I want to help." I replied. Cade gave me a look, but he didn't say anything outright.

Simmons nodded, "Perfect. Then call your mechanical buddies."

"Can't do that." I shrugged, "I have no way to reach them, I think I lost my phone in the river, and they can't find me like they usually would."

"Then what use are you to us!?" Simmons cried with his arms thrown up for good measure. "We need mechs and femmes, we need the big guns. Not a little girl in a knee brace."

"Listen if we can just get the Autobots here they'll have the upper hand." Joyce explained, "I have a signal up and running that is blocking the Cybertronian signal. It keeps Moonracer hidden for us and it'll keep every other Cybertronian who sets foot in Austin hidden as well."

He was blocking Cybertronian signals. That explained why the drones didn't see me. They still came after us though, which was odd because I thought they didn't hunt humans. Maybe it was different if you were in the middle of their hive though.

"How long will it take you to get in and do what you need to do?" I asked.

"Thirty minutes at the most if everything goes right." Joyce replied.

"I need to talk to my friend. Alone." I said and hooked my arm through Cade's. I began to pull him away and he followed with ease.

Simmons scoffed behind us, "You two are still prisoners!"

We ignored him and continued walking. People gave us glances as we passed, but they also gave us a wide berth as we moved. When we got to a spot that was rather clear of tents and people I stopped. There was a moment where we both just stared at each other in exhaustion.

"How did you know who that guy was?" Cade asked.

"Remember when I told you about the whole I'm from a different universe and that's why I know the Autobots and that from that I have a weird ass energy signature?"

Cade chuckled, "Yeah. Hard to forget that."

"Well in my universe the Autobots were more of a…" I paused, "I don't remember a lot about some of the stuff from my universe anymore, but sometimes things can come and go when it's triggered. I remembered him from my universe."

"You've dealt with that guy before?" Cade asked with pity in his voice.

"Not exactly. I…saw him in a movie about the transformers."

"You what?"

I awkwardly laughed and stupidly made the situation worse, "Saw you in a movie too. I think. I vaguely recognized you."

"I was in a movie?"

"No, you weren't in the movie." I backtracked and mentally cursed myself for being myself. "In my universe you were an actor who played in a movie as the person you are right now."

"What?" Cade shook his head.

I covered my eyes with my hands, "This conversation has gotten away from me."

There was so much going on and I was still worried about how my family was handling all this. I knew how touchy they were with the whole ' _me disappearing'_ thing. The last thing I wanted them to do was make a mistake on my account or get distracted with this and lose focus on an important mission.

"Hey." Cade's voice was soft and he pulled my hands away. His face was drawn in skepticism, but there was a fire and determination in his eyes at the moment despite the nonsense I had just spewed from my mouth. He rubbed the back of his neck, almost nervously, before speaking, "Things are…insane, but we're handling it, ok? And I...I believe you."

"You do?" I pressed in disbelief.

"Listen, weird shit has been happening since I got this thing stuck on my arm." Cade motioned to the talisman. "And, admittedly, I don't know you super well, but you never seemed untrustworthy to me. In fact, you were the first person I really did trust actually." He paused and was obviously thinking of something. My mind traveled back to the day he talked about. I wondered if he was thinking of the same thing. "Now maybe I'd be less inclined to believe you if you told me this yesterday, but today we've teleported twice and we've also been kidnapped by those two." We both looked over in time to see Joyce push Simmons who pushed him back before the two of them started slapping at each other while yelling. I shook my head and Cade let out a sigh of exhaustion. "So yeah. I do believe you." He offered me a small smile, "And as sorry as I am that you got dragged into this bullshit with me… I also can't help but be glad it was you."

What he said was exactly what I needed to hear right now. I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around him in a hug. He hesitated for a slight moment before wrapping his arms around me as well.

"We're going to get through this." He said.

I pulled back and nodded, "I know. And, I think I might have a plan, but you might not be the biggest fan of it because half of it is sort of based on a death induced hallucination I had."

"That plan already sounds better than whatever those dickheads had in mind." Cade shrugged.

* * *

Sunstreaker could still feel his armor rattling against his protoform no matter how tight he pulled it against himself. If Sideswipe hadn't caught them as quickly as he had they both would've fallen into gladiator mode the moment that blast went off. Pit, Sunstreaker could still feel himself on the edge of it.

 _'Breathe, brother_.' Sideswipe hummed comfortingly. He tried to send waves of calm, but the waves were weak considering Sideswipe was just as upset at the moment.

Sunstreaker forced himself to transform into his alt mode in hopes that the limitations would restrict his movement and keep him on the right edge of sanity. He couldn't even get his holoform to show up to the meeting earlier. Anytime he tried it fizzled out. Sideswipe had gotten all the information they needed, but like his twin had stated that information was useless at the moment.

' _They got a hit on something. Not Aj_.' Sideswipe said, but his tone was absentminded. He was distracted. Sunstreaker revved his engine, scaring a passing group of human soldiers, and he asked the wordless question over his bond. ' _It is important, Sunny. I think. They found Megatron.'_

Sunstreaker's frustration now mingled with confusion, ' _What_?'

' _Megatron and the seekers just pinged on our radar. We're able to track them, but… They're heading to Austin. The hive there.'_

' _Why_?' Sunstreaker growled. Did the Decepticons know something they didn't? Sunstreaker knew Aj was out there. He knew it and he wanted nothing more than to leave base to find her, but he just needed a clue, a hint, anything. Was this what he was waiting for?

 _::I found another energy blast::_ Ratchet's voice crackled over their comm. Sunstreaker froze as he waited for the medic to continue _::Austin.::_

With another loud rev of his engine, Sunstreaker peeled out of the garage.

* * *

"Why are you here?" I asked curiously.

Moonracer was sitting on the ground with her legs crossed while Izabella sat on her thigh. The plan had been discussed with Joyce, Simmons, and his little team of misfits or whatever they called themselves. While finals measures were being put into place I waited topside with the Autobot and the little girl. Where we had been taken earlier was apparently just a bunker they had built underground after the battle of Chicago for emergencies.

"I found her. I helped her." Izabella answered. "She lost a fight."

" I can see that much." I motioned toward the burned portion of her head. "You don't remember Optimus Prime. What do you remember?"

Moonracer shrugged her shoulders and let a finger rest on Izabella's head, "I remember waking up. I remember Izabella."

"She knew her name." Izabella added, "I told her she was an Autobot."

Izabella pointed to the silver emblem on Moonracer's chest.

"Do you remember Cybertron?" I questioned further.

Moonracer didn't reply immediately. She gave a sad smile, "Sometimes I can remember a home. I could see a skyline from my berth room."

"Well…don't worry. Ratchet can fix that right up, I'm sure. He can fix anything." I tried to reassure her. The garage off to the side began to open and once it did a truck rolled out with Cade at the wheel. Simmons and Joyce walked out beside it.

"Ratchet." Moonracer repeated and I looked back to her. She was smiling for real this time, "I remember a Ratchet. I liked him. He was gentle and kind."

I gave her a sheepish smile and turned away to mumble to myself, "Yeah, I don't think we're talking about the same Ratchet, honey."

Joyce jogged over to me," You start heading out and so will Moonracer. Once you're five minutes out I'm shutting down the signal. The Protector Bots will be on your asses."

Cade half stepped out of the truck and leaned against the door. Simmons glanced at him, "We could use an extra hand. One of you can run with us-"

"No." Cade interrupted him and got back into the truck.

I walked over and jumped into the passenger seat, "We stick together."

Simmons rolled his eyes and mumbled something under his breath before walking away. Joyce nodded at us and followed after him. Moonracer transformed and Izabella got into the jeep. Cade raised an eyebrow and looked at me, "Should she be tagging along?"

"I really don't think so, but I also really didn't want to spend the next ten minutes arguing and being cussed out by her." I shrugged as Cade peeled out of the garage. Our job was to get as far away from the bunker and from the center of the hive, KSI, while attracting as many drones as we could. "Besides, Moonracer is her guardian, official or not. She'll protect her no matter what."

Cade nodded and pressed down on the gas hard. The streets we drove down were empty and Moonracer followed behind us. I glanced at Cade who used his free hand to touch the talisman, "Is it bothering you?"

"No." Cade shook his hand and moved his hand away, "It's fine."

"Tell me as soon as it starts to go off again. We're in this together. I'm going with you next time it geos off no matter what." I said firmly.

Cade glanced over at me and chuckled, "Don't have to tell me twice." The roaring of an engine was heard and I glanced up in the rear view mirror to see three cars following behind Moonracer. Gold, silver, and red. Cade sucked in a deep breath, "Another Midas and Silverstreak."

"Stinger too." I added.

Cade sped up, "Here we go."

* * *

Optimus looked over the group of soldiers in the plane with him. Lennox, Epps, and some of their finest men sat strapped in against the sides. The twins, Jazz, Bluestreak, Bumblebee, and Smokescreen sat parked in the middle before him. He knew Ratchet, Ironhide, Wheeljack, and Flare-Up were in a plane just behind them with even more soldiers. This mission was one of volunteers. The government did not sanction it after all. No government official in their right mind would ok the suicide mission to the Austin hive.

The Prime's sight drifted to Tyler. The young mech had one servo over his face with his helmet on the floor between his pedes. The other servo was stretched out and resting on Bluestreak's hood.

He was not of the opinion that Tyler should even be on this mission, but Tyler wouldn't take no for an answer.

"I'm getting a message from Sam back on base!" Lennox yelled into his mike set so Optimus and every other soldier could hear. He paused, listening to the rest of the message before speaking, "Seymour Simmons got in touch with him. He's with Joshua Joyce of KSI and they're in Austin." Optimus tensed as a familiar bond flared to life within his spark. "They said they're taking down the hive! I'm calling for more back-up. With news like that we could get government approval!"

It was a good thing Lennox was on top of what he was doing because Optimus' focus was elsewhere. He was sure he was not the only one either. The bond was full of life again and he could feel Aj accidentally sending her raw emotions over the bond. Dread filled his tanks at what he felt though.

She was in a deserted city filled with drones and Decepticons, but she felt no fear or hesitance or confusion.

Aj was sending sheer determination over the bond, and Optimus could only imagine what she was planning on doing.

* * *

Cade turned the wheel, taking the turn sharply, but Midas and Silverstreak were still on our tail. Stinger had chased after Moonracer who took off in another direction. They hadn't attacked yet and it was confusing until four more drones fell in line behind the two of them while more still began to climb atop buildings and follow along. We had bit off more than we could chew and the two of us knew it. Guns began to fire and I flinched, but the sound was drowned out by the sound of a jet flying overhead. I leaned forward in time to see the familiar color scheme of Thundercracker as he fired missiles that took out the drones behind us.

"TC!" I screamed out the window.

Cade whipped another turn as TC turned back around and transformed to fight the drones that had been standing. The familiar sound of a warp opening and soon Skywarp was fighting beside his trine mate.

"Are those Decepticons?!" Cade cried.

The truck turned another corner, leaving the seekers out of sight, but Cade suddenly slammed on the breaks and my seatbelt dug into my already bruised chest as I kept flying forward.

Ahead of us was a wall of drones. Two more Stingers, a yellow one with blue sunglasses that reminded me of Jazz, and in the dead center was a T-Rex shaped drone painted green instead of the silver I had acquainted to Grimlock.

"Fuck." Cade cursed and threw the truck in reverse.

The truck's wheels burned against the asphalt and began to speed backwards, but the dino drone began to race forward with a loud, heart-stopping roar. It caught up to us quickly and used its nose to head butt us off the road. The truck went tumbling as it rolled over and over again. I could hear Cade screaming, but my mind went blank. It was as if everything slowed and my eyes focused on a figure down an alley. The same armored figure who had the talisman in my dream. He reached out for me, but time snapped back into place and the truck rolled twice more before slamming into the corner of a building.

"Aj?!"

I could feel blood dripping down my face, but it was going in the opposite direction. Rather than streak down my cheek to my chin it leaked upwards and pooled at my hairline. Muted sound became sharp and clear and I turned my dizzy head to see Cade hanging upside down from his seat.

"Are you alright?" There was panic in his eyes. He struggled with his belt and finally got free only to fall to the roof of the truck. "I got you, don't worry."

"Cade." I mumbled as he tried to unjam my own seatbelt. He held onto me with one shoulder so when it did come loose I didn't fall, but my eyes were glued to the dinosaur-sized feet marching towards us.

The feet stopped just as another pair of dark gray legs dropped in front of them. There was a roar before the legs lunged forward to the drone. I let out a gasp as gravity hit me and I fell from my loose seatbelt, but Cade kept me from hitting the ground. He ushered me to crawl out the broken window then followed after.

As soon as I was out, I looked over the underside of the truck to see Megatron battling it out with the dinosaur drone. The seeker trine, Starscream included, battled other drones beside him.

Cade grabbed my arm as electricity filled the air. The ringing returned. Megatron turned and his red eyes caught onto mine for a brief second before he was back into the fight.

 _"Aj!"_

I glanced over my shoulder in time to see Sideswipe and Sunstreaker sprinting down the street toward me. Before I could even open my mouth there was a snap of electricity and the world around us changed for the third time that day.

We were standing in a lobby. I stared out the front windows where there was also a large, revolving door. It remained working except the glass window and wall above it were shattered and destroyed leaving a gaping hole that sunlight could pour into. Except now the sun was starting to fade, the sky had the glow of evening.

"Shit, we aren't supposed to be here."

I glanced at Cade first to see his disappointment then followed his gaze to the sign that sat above the front desk. In big red letters sat ' _KSI'_.

"If the talisman took us here it had to be for a reason. It keeps getting us closer and closer to something. What if that something is this place?" I thought aloud.

"It's leading you to _death_."

We both spun to see the armored man standing at the foot of a spiral staircase that led to the second floor. Cade held his arm out in front of me, "Who the hell are you?"

"He was the guy in my dream." I mumbled. Cade glanced back at me briefly but refocused his attention.

"If you follow this path you will die!" He stepped forward.

"Is that a threat?" Cade snapped back.

"It's a _warning_."

I stared at the glass facemask I couldn't see beyond. All that was there were Cade's reflection and mine. I knew that voice. I recognized it, but not well enough to put a name to it.

"Defender." He spoke again, "Take your knight and leave this place."

Guesses rose to the tip of tongue. I knew this, I knew this. However, before I could grasp an answer Optimus Prime leaped through the hole above the glass doors and windows and landed in the middle of the lobby. Relief flooded my system at the sight of that familiar paint job, but the relief was short lived as he stood up and stared at me with a blank gaze. He lifted his arm and I watched as it fell apart into cubes that swirled and transformed into a cannon.

KSI might've made drones that were based off every other mech and femme, but they also made one that looked identical to Optimus.


	13. Chapter 13

_A/N: Hah Merry Christmas? I had some people randomly comment on the story and send me messages and it kicked my ass into finishing this chapter so I could post it. Told y'all that stuff works. Sorry I have been dead tho. That's my bad._

* * *

Chapter Thirteen:

Being Found

* * *

 _"For there is nothing lost that cannot be found if sought." –Sense & Sensibility_

* * *

Here's the thing about Optimus Prime that I didn't notice until I saw the drone version of him. The Prime was intimidating as hell. From the flamed paint job to his behemoth height there was no part of him that didn't scream 'I'm about to fuck you up'. Even his mouth guard was intimidating. However, there was always something about Optimus Prime that never seemed dangerous to me. It was probably because I was never the one to go toe to toe with him, but his eyes always seemed kind. I've seen determination in them, I've seen resolve and resilience, but there was always a kindness to them and that kindness never evoked a fear response.

Right now though? The creature in front of me had no kindness in any part of him. His soulless, or sparkless, blue eyes were closer to an off shade of white and they were blank and emotionless. It was the only part of the drone that didn't match the real Optimus.

Standing in front of this drone as it formed its arm cannon and prepared to fire made me extremely thankful that I was on the real Optimus Prime's side. The feeling didn't last long though as dread and fear was pushed to the forefront of my mind. Cade and I were at risk to get vaporized yet again, and boy had the action not grown on me at all.

"Get out of the city!" The armored stranger yelled. The drone glanced at him once, but didn't turn the gun towards him. This didn't stop the armored stranger from pulling a circular, metal device from his back and chucking it at the drone Prime. It hit the drone on the arm, stuck to the metal, and began to beep. The drone lifted its other arm to swat it away, but before he could the circular device detonated. " _Move_!"

The bomb had sent the drone stumbling back towards the front exit so Cade and I began to backpedal in hopes to find a back exit. Through the smoke of the bomb though another Cybertronian sized figure leaped through the hole on the wall tackling fake Optimus. This sent both large beings staggering towards us.

" _Down_!" Cade yelled, grabbed my arm, and dragged us forward. We both dove forward just as the beings flew over our heads and crashed into the front desk we had been standing near.

I glanced over my shoulder to see it had been Megatron that leaped in to attack. That was the second time the Decepticon leader had saved my ass today.

" _Aimee_!"

My head swiveled over to see the armor figure motion toward me and then turn around and take off running. He wanted me to follow, and every ounce of my being wanted to follow him. I needed to know who he was. I leapt up to run after him, but Cade grabbed my wrist, "What are you doing?!"

"I have to follow that guy!"

"I don't think that's a good idea! We have no idea who the hell he is!"

"I think I might!" I cried. The stranger was getting further and further away. I had to go. It was now or never.

Cade must have heard the desperation in my voice. He let go of my wrist, "Please be careful."

I nodded and took a few steps away just as a ringing filled my ears. Megatron and fake Optimus were duking it out in hand to hand combat only a few feet away as electricity filled the air making every hair on my arms stand up. I turned around to see Cade staring at the talisman. He made quick eye contact with me and shook his head, "I can handle this. You find that guy, Aj."

I took one more step away from Cade only to stop and sprint back. I latched my arms around him just as the ringing began to grow louder.

"What are you doing?"

The electricity crackled and the scene changed again. We were in an office building hallway. The entire left wall was covered in windows, some in place and others broken and shattered. I pulled away from him to see surprise still drawn across his features, "We started this together. I'm not letting you finish it alone."

Cade opened his mouth to speak only to close it just as quickly and nod his head. The hallway behind us seemed to go towards a room of desks, but the hallway in front of us led to a larger conference room. As we got closer voices filled the air. Cade opened the door and we both slipped in quietly. The conference room was actually a large lab, but most of the technology was broken and covered in what looked like vines. I stepped closer to one near me and reached out to touch it.

The vines weren't vines at all, and as my fingers brushed against one it shifted into small cubes, rotated in place, then formed back into the vine shape. The entire room was filled with the same metal that formed the drones.

"Will you hurry up? Are you _waiting_ for a drone to storm in and _kill_ us!?"

"This is a _delicate_ process! I can't just _slam_ buttons and make it work!"

"I don't care, we are running out of time and-"

"Do _you_ want to do this? _Do you want to do this_?"

Cade and I stepped further into the lab to see Joyce and Simmons bickering at each other in front of a large screen and control panel. Good news, they made it into the KSI control room. Bad news, now we were stuck with them.

Simmons turned at the sound of our approach with a gun pointed right as us. As soon as he recognized us he lowered, "What the _hell_ are you two doing here?! Aren't you supposed to be making a distraction!?"

"I was _really_ hoping to never see these guys again." I sighed mostly to myself.

Cade nodded once, but then shrugged and leaned towards me, "Same, but if you haven't noticed today hasn't exactly gone as we wanted."

"We haven't died yet. That's pretty cool." I lightly argued.

Simmons scoffed, "Are you two done?"

"The real question is are you two done?" Cade demanded. He motioned to the screen, which had a variety of ' _warning'_ and ' _access denied'_ pop-ups flashing on it, "The drones are still working out there."

"For the last time, I am _trying_!" Joyce cried without even bothering to look over his shoulder.

Simmons shook his head with a smile, "We are on top of this. We just need a little more time."

"You have very little time." I replied. "Decepticons and Autobots are in the city, but drone Optimus Prime is in the lobby ready to fuck some shit up. Megatron is holding him back, but they're gonna attract more."

" _Shit_." Simmons snapped and marched back over to Joyce. They began to argue again with each other under their breaths.

Cade lightly wrapped his hand around my arm and pulled me a step back, "Why did the talisman teleport us here?"

"It wants us here." I said, but my tone was nowhere near confident. I looked around the room for some kind of clue, but nothing popped out at me. There was, however, a slight ringing at the back of my head now, but Cade didn't seem to notice it. The talisman also wasn't glowing and freaking out which meant this was a different kind of ringing. "Cade, search the room."

"For what?"

I bit my lip, "Look…look for an alien staff."

* * *

He has always been limited in the things he could and could not do in the field, but he never felt that more than he did at this exact moment. Tyler dropped onto his stomach and positioned his rifle in a steady, comfortable position. The building that Bluestreak dropped him on had a vantage point of a majority of the city, and the energy shield working around him ensured that no drone was going to target him out specifically while he did his job.

Did he want to be lying on a roof firing at drones? No. Tyler wanted to be on the streets looking for Aj, but there was no way in hell any of the Autobots were going to let that happen while they were in the heart of the hive.

" _We need cover fire_!" Lennox barked through his helmet.

"Northern flank in progress, Southern flank in position." Tyler replied. He pressed his fingers into his suit's forearm and his back armor pieces swung out and up. The small-scale ' _door wings'_ on his suit allowed him to do the same thing Bluestreak's did. Monitor conditions. Wind, altitude, and various other factors flashed across his helmet's mask in the upper left corner. He glanced at them briefly before taking aim.

In the heat of a battle, aiming for the eyes, though ideal, was difficult. The drones moved too quickly. So unless they were at a standstill, Tyler aimed for the next best thing, joints.

" _Northern flank in position_." Bluestreak's voice crackled to life.

Tyler smirked and fired his shot. He didn't wait to see if it made contact, he knew it would, so he began to set up for the next shot. By creating this cover fire at the same time as Bluestreak it'd allow for Lennox and his squadron to get down the street towards where Aj's energy signature was.

After a few more distracting shots, he watched a drone get taken down by one of Bluestreak's. The energy bullet from the sniper's gun tore through the drone's head. They had to aim for the head, which wasn't typically what Cybertronians did. In war, the target was always the spark, but when your enemies were sparkless you had to find new ways to do an old job.

Tyler's sights went past Jazz, Bumblebee, a seeker, and then to the drone. He whipped his sights backwards though, back to where he had seen the seeker. It was Thundercracker fighting off a drone, and Tyler found himself frozen in place.

His sights tracked a spot on the seeker's back. One that he knew was a weak spot, one that he knew would damage some of their flight relays. His finger twitched over the trigger.

A loud crash made Tyler look up from his sights. On the street below a little girl sprinted out of an alleyway. A Ratchet based drone, with a missing arm and half a missing leg, chased after her. The drone, Triage, usually had a neon green paint job with accents of white and yellow, but this one was scorched badly. Tyler assumed since it was chasing this little girl she either had to have a hand in harming it or was in the vicinity and got the blame. He was leaning towards the latter. That was the only reason drone's went after humans.

" _Fuck you_!" The little girl whipped around, pulled a Molotov cocktail from her bag, lit it, and then threw it at the drone's face with surprising accuracy. Alright, maybe this girl actually did mess up this drone. No wonder it was pissed.

"Southern flank compromised." Tyler said. He closed his ' _wings'_ and activated the magnets on his back to hold his rifle in place.

" _Tyler are you alright?!"_ Bluestreak called out over a private communications line.

"I'm fine, Blue." Tyler called back and leaped off the roof. It was a six story drop, but as he got closer to the ground his rockets activated and slowed his descent. When his boots made contact he rolled to transfer his energy and sprinted toward the girl. "There's a civilian in trouble. I'm confronting an injured Triage."

Triage was trying to fire a weapon, but it's aiming program must have been damaged. Tyler scooped the girl up in one arm, holding her so he was half in front of her and facing the drone. She kicked and screamed and did not make it easy on him.

Tyler threw his right arm up, shook it once, and an energy cannon began to form in it's place. His helmet's screen locked onto the drone's head and he waited until it got a few feet closer before firing. The bright energy blast hit in the dead center of Triage's face and it exploded before crumpling to the ground. The gun on his arm fell off. It was built in by Wheeljack as a _'use in case of emergency'_ kind of weapon, but the power in it was so great that it usually only worked for one shot.

"Let me _go_!" The girl screamed again and tried freeing herself.

"Hey!" Tyler knelt down, bringing her down as well, then pressed the side of his helmet so the darkened face glass became clear and she could see him. Her dark eyes widened and she stopped squirming, "I'm a soldier. I'm here to help you, ok? Just cooperate a little, _please_."

She sucked in a sharp breath, "My friend. Please, she's in trouble."

Tyler knew as soon as he left the energy shield that covered this block he was going to get ripped a new one by a number of mechs. He also knew that he couldn't not help. If there was anything worth fighting for or getting in trouble over, it was protecting the people around him. He nodded once, "Lead the way."

* * *

"Did you find anything?" I called out while fruitlessly searching the room myself. The only thing that could be found was broken electronics, creepy ass metal vines, and the occasional hunk of literal garbage.

"Considering I don't even know what an alien staff looks like, no I don't think I have!" Cade yelled back from across the room in frustration.

Simmons wandered over to me with wide eyes, "Did you just say alien staff?"

I shrugged and I know the next words that came from my mouth had more bite than I actually intended, "Maybe we did. Is that relevant to _you_ at all?"

Simmons raised an eyebrow before frantically digging through his the zippered pocket on the side of his track pants. He pulled out a yellowed piece of paper and dramatically shook it open with one hand. Any skepticism I held of this man disappeared the moment my eyes landed on the picture he was holding. It was a rough sketch of the same staff I had seen with a foreign language written all around it. As if whoever had drawn it was also taking notes on it.

"How did you get that?" I asked breathlessly.

"What do you know about this staff?"

" _I know I need it_!" I shouted as my arms snatched the paper out of his hand. My own movements startled me and I could only stare at the hand that held the paper. Had I said those words? Why did I need the staff? A warm hand settled on my shoulder I jumped in surprise.

Cade was giving me look that was part caution and part worry, "Aj…Are you alright?"

"I-I don't know." I mumbled. Cade slowly took the paper from me, looked it over, and then folded it up and stuck it into his jean pocket.

The entire building shook and Joyce cried out in excitement. He clapped his hands drawing our attention. I still couldn't shake the uneasiness that had settled in my stomach at what had just happened. The feeling that the staff was still in here remained and that odd part of me knew I needed to find it. However, there was a logical part of me that wanted to get the hell out of here and never see that weird glowing staff again.

"I've done it! I've done it!" Joyce grinned. His smile broke slightly as he shook his head, "Well, I've sort of done it." His look of pride returned at he pointed to the screen, "The Protector Bots in this hive are still online, but I think with the programming I've just installed once we blow this control room it'll knock out any bot connected to this hive!"

"The military tried blowing a hive to kingdom come. It just pisses the drones off." Cade argued.

Joyce waved his arms, "No, no, no. They try firing missiles from the outside and the hive protects itself. Even if they hit the center of the hive it doesn't shut the- the drones off. My program changes that. I'm confident this will work and when it does we can take this programming to all the hives!"

"You said blow this place up?" I asked, "Did you have an escape plan that doesn't involve the lobby where-" The entire building shook again, "Where Megatron and fake Prime are decking it out like a pair of rock'em sock'em robots?"

"Well… _no_." Joyce admitted.

"You were supposed to keep them away from here!" Simmons argued. The radio on Simmons belt crackled to life and he snatched it up angrily, " _What_!?"

As the other person spoke he walked away to converse with them. Cade pulled me aside slightly with a shrug, "So what's our game plan? We still looking for the staff?"

"I don't know, Cade. I feel like we need to find it, but…" I crossed my arms, "I just have this weird feeling now that I can't shake."

"All the civilians are packed up and out of harm's way. The Autobots and Decepticons were a big enough distraction for them to get out. Activate the sequence." Simmons said loudly as he walked back over to Joyce.

Cade rubbed my arm in comfort, "Then let's bail with these guys. No harm, no foul."

"But we've been bouncing all over Austin. It's led us here. You're willing to just let that go?"

"If you say we should, then yes." Cade replied, "I told you. I trust you."

"How sweet." Simmons snapped, "Are you two done yet?"

Cade turned to give Simmons an exhausted glare while Joyce stepped back from the control panel as things began to light up and sirens began to go off. That was as clear of a sign as one could get.

"Time to go, _time to go_." Joyce motioned for the door. Cade and I shared a glance before following Simmons and Joyce at a distance. They exited the room, and Cade was next to pass through when an armored boot kicked him in the chest and sent him flying back into the room with a cry of pain.

" _Cade_!" I cried and ran to his side. I helped him sit up as the armored stranger stepped into the room. Simmons ran back with wide eyes and his gun drawn. The stranger turned to him. "Simmons! Go! Get out of here!"

"Oh, I don't run." Simmons leveled his gun at the stranger, but the stranger lifted his arm and sent out an energy blast of sort that sent Simmons flying backwards. Distantly, I heard him yell, " _Good luck, lovebirds_!"

If it didn't look like we were currently in danger I'd roll my eyes. The armored stranger started to approach us so I helped Cade to his feet and the two of us began to backpedal away. We didn't get far though and suddenly we were trapped with our back to a broken window that led to a twenty-story fall.

"Give me the staff." He demanded.

Cade and I gave each other a confused look. I shook my head, "We don't have it, dude."

"Do _not_ lie to me, Aimee!"

His tone and words rang in my mind briefly, but a sudden swelling in my chest overshadowed it. There was worry mingled with urgency and the wind from the open window caused a whistling noise to each my ears. Was that just the wind though?

"You said you trusted me right? Are you sure about that?" I offered my hand to Cade. His gaze traveled from my eyes to my hand before he slipped his own into it. The stranger was yelling at me again, but I tugged Cade to the edge. Cade sucked in a sharp breath and I tried to avoid looking straight down. I squeezed Cade's hand one more time, and then we leapt.

We fell six stories, with me screaming apologies to Cade every other story, until my faith was rewarded. The loud whistling cut through the air again, I could barely hear it over the whipping wind around us, but I definitely felt it when a solid mass of metal scooped us out of the air. The wind was replaced with the twisting of metal and suddenly Cade and I were sitting in the cockpit of a jet with me in his lap since there was only one seat. I was thankful it didn't end up the other way around.

" _Squishy_! You functioning?" Skywarp's voice crackled loudly over the sound of the wind and engines.

"Skywarp, I've never been so happy to see you before." I breathed in relief. He cackled in amusement before taking a nosedive. Cade and I were pressed into our seats from the force as we cried out in alarm. Skywarp only laughed louder.

He leveled back off when he got close to the ground, screeched to a halt, and when he got slow enough he threw us from the cockpit. I hit the ground hard and began to tumble down the asphalt road. As if the bruises and bumps I had earned so far weren't enough, now I had some serious road rash to match.

" _Skywarp_!" Thundercracker barked out.

"Oops, my bad."

I sat up and moved slowly just in case something was broken, but it seemed like every part of my body was still connected to itself and bending how it was supposed to bend. I whipped around to check on Cade who looked worse for wear, but was still up and going. God, today was just not going to end for us at this rate.

"Barricade is pinned down south from here and Starscream is surrounded on the bridge." Megatron's voice caught my attention. The mech was standing tall by a building slightly shorter than him. His arm was transformed into his usual giant ass gun, but it was sparking with damage. I watched as he let his arm transform back to its hand, but in his other hand he let it form into a large blade.

"I got Screamer!" Skywarp yelled. He jumped over us making me flinch and transformed before warping out of sight. Thundercracker gave me a quick nod, one that I had no time to reply to, before he transformed himself and took off.

"Aj." Cade mumbled. He was already standing, and he scooped me up as well keeping me half behind himself. I glanced down at my brace in worry, but the gear was holding tight. Thank you, Wheeljack.

"It's ok Cade." I whispered before stepping past him to address Megatron he stepped closer, but didn't move to bend down. He just stared at us with that unblinking red gaze. "Megsy. You're a sight for sore eyes."

The mech looked different than he did back at home. His faceplates remained the same though despite the more modern looking updates to his body and frame. He tilted his head slightly, "You shouldn't have come to this universe, Aj."

My eyebrows scrunched together in confusion, "Um, what?"

"You should've stayed home."

"Once y'all left, I had no home." I replied firmly, "And to be fair, getting sucked into this world wasn't entirely done on my own accord. It was an acc-"

Megatron interrupted me, "It was no accident."

"We need to go. Something doesn't feel right." Cade whispered to me while tugging on my arm slightly.

He was right. There was a weird vibe in the air that I couldn't shake, but this was Megatron. Yes, he was the leader of the Decepticons who were kings of ruining everything, but he was also a mech I had gotten to know. I was bonded to him, sort of, in that weird ass way. He wouldn't hurt me. I refused to believe it. He had saved me twice today already and so had the seekers.

"Where is the staff?" Megatron demanded. His voice shook me to my core.

"Staff? How do you know about-"

" _Where is the staff!?"_ Megatron barked again and I flinched backwards.

Megatron had a look in his eyes that matched the one from back in my universe. It wasn't like when I first met him, how he gave off that aura of anger and destruction. He held himself with an air of confidence; his eyes weren't filled with rage or malice. They were filled with determination and…and sorrow?

"Megsy. What's going on? Talk to me." I said slowly with my arms reached out in surrender.

Megatron covered his face with his clawed hand before making a noise akin to a sigh. He knelt down, "I do not wish to kill you, Aj." My eyes widened. "However, I am left with no choice. I am free from his clutches, I am no longer a puppet of destruction, but now you are."

" _Megatron_!" I yelled. Cade growled my name in my ear and tried to get me to turn and run, but my feet were pinned to the ground in shock.

"I am doing this as a sign of mercy. You do not want the life I have been forced to live." Megatron replied sadly. He lifted his blade into the air and in a second he brought it down as fast as he could over my head.

I closed my eyes tightly, as if that would help, but instead of getting split in half the sound of metal on metal reverberated through the air. I opened my eyes and Cade was standing in front of me. His arms were lifted up, and in his hands was a dark gray, metal long sword. It blocked Megatron's blade surprisingly enough. With a grunt of force he pushed the blade back and let the sword fall downward as his hands gripped the handle tighter.

"Cade." I breathed. He turned and we both watched as the sword collapsed in on itself before the hunk of metal traveled up his arm and became the same talisman we've been dealing with all day, "What the fuck?"

Megatron let out a cry before moving to attack again. Cade wrapped his arms around me out of instinct just as a missile collided with Megatron's chest. It went off and I could feel the heat from the fire between Cade's arms. An engine revved and I pulled away from Cade just in time to see Jazz leap over us and tackle Megatron. The two began to wrestle and fight as my blood ran cold. Flashbacks of Jazz being ripped in two filled my mind.

" _Jazz_!" I screamed and tried to rush forward, as if I'd be any help whatsoever, but Cade held me back.

"Aj!" I turned as Wheeljack, in his alt mode, skidded to a stop and whipped around with his doors open, "Get in!"

Cade dragged me to the car and put me in the driver's seat. The door locked as Cade climbed into the other side. I kicked the door, "Jackie let me out! We have to help Jazz!"

Wheeljack took off and the last thing I saw was Megatron pounding his fist into Jazz's face, "I have to get you out of the city. A detonation sequence was initiated."

"But Jazz! We have to-"

"He can handle himself, Aj, I promise!"

Wheeljack's words did nothing to comfort me and I couldn't stop the dread from settling in my stomach as I sat in the seat useless. Cade must have noticed how close I was to breaking Wheeljack's window and throwing myself out so he reached over and wrapped a hand around my wrist. I nearly yanked my hand back, I didn't need something else holding me back from Jazz, but when I snapped my gaze over to him I noticed the soft look in his eyes. He squeezed my wrist once. This was comfort, this wasn't restriction.

My shoulders fell in defeat and I shut my eyes and leaned back against Wheeljack's seat.

* * *

 _"Tyler, where are you!? A detonation sequence is counting down I'm coming to get you!"_ Bluestreak yelled over the comm at him, " _Send me your location now!"_

Tyler broadcasted his signal to his guardian, but continued to race after the little girl who was hell bent on getting back to her friend. He could admire that. The sound of an engine made his blood run cold, "Little girl, are we _any_ closer? We gotta go."

"She's just up ahead! I promise!" She yelled back and sprinted off. Tyler sucked in a breath and kept his eyes peeled for the drone that was sure to follow that engine noise. As soon as he got this girl's friend the whole lot of them could meet Bluestreak and he could drive them out of the city. No big deal. " _There_!"

Tyler turned the corner with the girl and his eyes widened at the sight of a Cybertronian leaning against the building. It was a femme, a bit on the smaller side too, with a sea foam green paint job that was dinged and scorched. Energon dripped from various spot, there was a black gaping hole at the side of her processors, and one of the femme's eyes was deactivated and crushed. His eyes landed on the Autobot insignia on her chest.

" _What the shit."_ Tyler breathed.

"You have to help her!" The girl yelled and tugged on his hand before racing over to the femme. The Autobot weakly wrapped her hand around the little girl in a protective manner.

"Bluestreak, I have a problem." Tyler said into his microphone.

" _Tyler_!?" Came the panicked reply.

Tyler rushed over and let his helmet's camera zoom in on the Autobot insignia. He had never met this Autobot before let alone even seen her around. As the camera focused on the symbol it began to read off the serial code embedded into it. Years ago he was taught that the Autobot symbol did more than just represent what side the Cybertronian had pledged to. It also worked the same as his dog tags did. Once the code was downloaded into his helmet he immediately sent it to every Autobot in the vicinity.

" _I'm on my way, Tyler. Stay put."_ Bluestreak said in determination.

 _"I'm in route."_ Ratchet's voice spoke over his helmet's system. He was hardly surprised to hear the medic respond to the distressing issue, but he was surprised to hear the panic that tinged his words.

Tyler pushed aside his confusion and knelt down next to the girl, "I have friends on the way. We're going to be ok."

"Izabella…" The Autobot spoke in a broken tone. It was filled with static and pain. The little girl curled into the Autobot and began to cry softly. The femme looked at him next, "Something is c-c-coming."

Tyler turned and pulled his weapon into his hands. If the drone attacked there was only so much he could do, but like hell he wasn't going to try.

" _Do not engage any drones, Tyler_!" Bluestreak yelled.

Tyler didn't have the time to reply. He didn't have the time. An all too familiar drone stepped into sight with its weapon drawn.

* * *

Wheeljack had dropped Cade and I about three miles outside of Austin at a small camp they had set up. It had a few soldiers reporting movement based on the radars they set up, a couple jeeps, and the aircraft that brought them all here. The moment Wheeljack dropped us off though something had him speeding back into the doomed city, but he hadn't shed light on what that was.

"I'm sure they're all going to be ok." Cade stepped closer and crossed his arms. A medic had come by to look over our injuries a few minutes ago, but I had brushed them off. I wasn't dying and Ratchet could look over me when he had time later. "The question is, are you ok?"

I glanced at him, "As ok as you are, I guess. We're probably gonna wake up a bit sore in the morning."

Cade shook his head, "No, that's not what I meant. With the weird ass staff and… and the whole Megatron thing?"

"I-I don't know." I admitted, "I'm confused, I mean I am _so_ confused. With that mysterious person chasing us down and the talisman turning into a Megatron stopping sword and-"

"Hey." Cade interrupted me as my rant started to turn panicked, "It's ok."

"I don't know if it is. I thought I had found my place here, I though I had found solid ground, but…but now I feel more lost than ever."

Cade opened his mouth to speak, but he paused as a passing soldier motioned for us to start heading toward the airplanes. I shook my head in thought, "You gotta go, Cade."

"What?"

"If you stay here they're going to drag you back to base and after what just happened I don't think they'll be letting you out anytime soon. Your daughter."

"Tessa." He sighed in a knowing way. What I said was the truth.

"Take one of the jeeps and go. I don't think many people are going to even notice in this chaos." I added.

Cade paused before stepping closer, "You could come with me, you know? After finding Tessa, we could find some answers."

It was a tempting offer, but not nearly tempting enough. I gave him a soft smile, "My Tyler is out there. Tyler and my mechs and… I'm not going to be functional until I see that they're safe."

"I get that." Cade nodded with a chuckle. "Thanks for having my back today. I don't know what I would've done without you."

There was a comfortable beat of silence as we just took one another in. Here was this guy that I avoided for weeks, but now it actually hurt a bit to say goodbye. Cade was brave and strong, and there was no way in hell I would've have survived today without him.

"So are you two gonna kiss or what?"

My face burned in embarrassment as I whipped my head to the side to see Simmons leaning against one of the jeeps with a raised eyebrow. Cade cleared his throat and took a step away from me as he rubbed the back of his neck with his hand.

"Don't you have a youth basketball team to coach in that nasty 80's tracksuit?" I snapped at him.

Cade chuckled, but Simmons narrowed his eyes at me before doing a quick series of lunges, "Do you _see_ this? This _flexibility_ and _movement_? I'd like to see denim allow me this skill!"

"I should go." Cade shook his head, "I'll see you around?"

"Don't miss me too much, Cade." I smirked.

"No promises." He replied back before moving to enter the driver's side of the jeep. Simmons hopped into the passenger side and I watched them quietly argue with one another before Cade hot-wired the jeep with a shake of his head. He gave me a quick wave and I watched the two of them drive away as the soldiers in the area focused on other things.

Now came the awful moment where I had to just stand here and wait for my people to come back to me. I turned back around to stare at Austin's skyline, but gasped at the sight of the mysterious armored figure standing right in front of me. He threw his arm out and wrapped his metal fingers around my throat. I couldn't even cry out as he tightened his fist.

" _I'm so sorry_." His broken voice crackled through to me.

The figure sounded like he was in pain, but I could hardly focus on that. It was futile to fight against him. My limbs were already heavy and I was too weak from the day to even try and break free. The edges of my vision began to grow dark and I could feel consciousness slipping away from me.

Did nobody else see this? Was nobody going to stop him from killing me?

" _I told you to leave_." It was the last few words I heard before everything went dark.

* * *

It was a soft thrumming that woke me up. The noise was steady and resilient. It was familiar and comforting. It was a spark.

My eyes fluttered open to see yellow. Beyond the yellow though was my favorite medic's medbay. The lights in the medbay were bright and fluorescent, which meant Ratchet had to be working on someone, but the area over me was shaded so I didn't have to squint against the intrusive lighting.

As I focused less on the sparkbeat, other sounds began to greet me. Ratchet's barking voice, the sound of a welder, and the rhythmic beeping of monitors.

"How do you feel?" The deep voice seemed deeper with my ear to his chest.

I hurt. God, did I hurt. My ribs ached something fierce, my arms and legs still felt heavy, and my head felt like someone was using it as a drum. My knee also hurt which concerned me greatly. When I had the brace on, pain seemed impossible.

"Don't move too much. Wheeljack took off your knee brace and replaced it with the human one."

Well, that explained the knee pain.

"Sunstreaker." I breathed and he seemed to tense slightly, "What happened?"

"The hive was destroyed. We came back to the makeshift camp to leave and you were passed out. The soldiers said you collapsed." He replied, and I could hear the faint worry in his tone. If I didn't know him as well as I did now I would've missed it.

What he said didn't seem right though. The last thing I remembered was saying goodbye to Cade, and then… nothing. Had I really blacked out? I was pretty banged up, maybe the exhaustion just caught up to me. Still, something seemed off. I had the nagging feeling you get when you know you've forgotten something important. My hand drifted to my throat, but Sunstreaker spoke again.

"Are you in pain?"

"Just a little sore." I sighed and slowly sat up. He hissed for me to stay still, but I forced myself in a sitting position facing him. Sunstreaker seemed to be lying on one of the berths, but he was sitting up at a slight angle. His lavender eyes traced over me again in concern, but my own eyes landed on his shoulder or lack there of. " _Sunny_!"

He shook his head, "I'm fine. The drone version of Grimlock got his teeth into me." My eyebrows still furrowed so he continued. "Ratchet turned off the pain receptors and stemmed off the energon flow. Tomorrow he'll work on repairs."

"Why not now?"

Sunstreaker tilted his head to the side and I followed his gaze to the sea foam femme that had saved me. She was lying on a berth at the opposite end of the room with Ratchet working at her head and Taylor standing on her chest welding something.

"Moonracer." I breathed.

"You know her?"

"We met." I glanced back at him, "She saved me. Her and Izabella… _Izabella_!" I tried to stand up, but Sunstreaker kept me down, "She was this little girl, 14 I think, and she was in the city I-"

Sunstreaker sighed, "Will you stop squirming before you hurt yourself. She's fine too. Look."

Sunstreaker carefully twisted me around with his hands so I could see the table across from us. My eyes landed on Tyler first. He was sitting up, still wearing his armor, and looked a bit worse for wear. His hairline was coated in blood and there was a thin gash that went from under his eye diagonal down to his jawline. It also looked like his arm was in a sling. Bile rose up in my throat at the sight of him injured, but when his tired eyes landed on me his face broke out in a wide grin. The silly smile warmed my heart and put my initial fears away. With his good arm, he waved at me and I quickly sent him a wave back.

Now that I wasn't focusing on him though, I could see the small girl curled up in his lap. She had her head resting against his thigh as he set his good hand back onto the top of her dirty hair in comfort. Izabella was fast asleep.

"He ran into her in the city and got coordinates back to us on Moonracer's location. A Stinger drone attacked him, but Bluestreak got to him in time. That female child hasn't left his side since." Sunstreaker explained, "When Ratchet finally started working on Moonracer she freaked out. Tyler got her calm, and stayed with her."

"Who is Moonracer? Do you know her?"

Sunstreaker turned me back around and readjusted himself against the berth, "I never met her personally. Sideswipe did once. It was one of the first bases we were stationed to after we joined." He shook his head, "She was supposed to come to Earth and work on the Australian base a few years back, but there was an attack during transport. We didn't think she made it through the Space Bridge, but apparently she did and she's been here on Earth this entire time."

"I'm glad you guys finally found her."

"Yeah." Sunstreaker agreed, he remained quiet in thought before speaking again, "If I remember correctly, she was a field medic. Pretty sure Ratchet trained her."

"She recognized Ratchet's name, but I assumed she knew a different Ratchet."

Sunstreaker chuckled, "Ratchet isn't a common name among us Cybertronians."

"Yeah, but she used the words ' _gentle'_ and ' _kind'_ to describe him." I argued back.

Sunstreaker paused, "Ok, maybe it was a different Ratchet."

I lightly laughed to myself before lying back down onto Sunstreaker's chest. Despite being in the safest place on Earth, I still felt exhausted and on edge. I had no answers on what went on in Austin, and I knew soon I'd have the entire base asking me for them.

"Do you know where Cade went? He was gone when we showed up."

I chuckled, "Your guess is as good as mine."

Sunstreaker snorted, "Yeah, that's believable."

"Where is everyone else? Is Sides ok? Jazz? Wheeljack? Blue-"

"Everyone is ok." Sunstreaker cut me off before I could continue down my list, "We had a lot of injuries, but we didn't lose anyone. Ratchet already patched up most everyone. I'm stuck in here until my shoulder repair."

I nodded and closed my eyes, "Where is Sides?"

"Debrief. That's where everyone is, really." Sunstreaker sighed, "He wants to be here though. He told me to say he misses you and hopes you're feeling better."

I chuckled to myself, but to my own ears it sounded hollow, "Tell him I miss him too and I'm fine."

Was I really fine though? My physical injuries would heal, but it felt like my mind was still unraveling at the seams. Sunstreaker tensed under me and I felt his hand brush against me. His finger trailed up my back to my face until it stopped under my chin. I opened my eyes to see him staring at me in concern.

"Femme, are you ok?"

Could he feel my distress over the bond or was it just the close proximity that allowed him to catch my worry? I sat up and forced a smile while trying to keep things light, "Y'all are in the middle of a damn war and I somehow still manage to make my own separate mess of things. That's hella ironic, don't you think?"

"Nothing that happened was your fault."

"I know." I agreed, "But isn't it crazy that I'm somehow always at the middle of it? I'm starting to think that I really am a danger magnet." Despite trying to keep it light, my fears started to seep through, "People I love are getting hurt trying to protect me from forces way beyond any of us, and that's never been who I am. I'm the protector, I'm the one who fights, I'm… If I can't even do that anymore than who am I? Sunstreaker, I just feel so…I feel so _lost_."

Lost.

That really was the perfect word for the storm in my mind. It was a familiar feeling. This isn't the first time I've felt lost, but being lost to myself in New York was a whole other ballgame. I managed to find myself then, through the help of the mechs and the kids. This time though? It felt deeper. More endless. I truly wondered if this was the kind of lost anyone could ever come back from.

"You are Aj." Sunstreaker's words startled me. "You are the femme strong enough to love-… to _care_ , for even the most broken of mechs. Right now, you may not be able to physically fight the threats that arise, but you will _always_ be a fighter. A warrior. I see it in your optics."

His words put a piece of my mind to ease. He looked like he wanted to say more, and the look on his face made me think that he was also discussing things with his brother.

A small smile lit my face as I guessed his next words. They'd say I wasn't lost. It's the comfort that comes most natural. To deny what the person is feeling. Maybe that's exactly what I needed to hear though. Maybe if I was told ' _You are not lost'_ enough times I'd start to believe it.

"Maybe you are lost right now." He suddenly said and my eyes widened in surprise. "But you'll _never_ stay lost. You're too strong to ever remain lost, you will _always_ find your way back to the path." My eyes softened at his words and I felt my heart clench. "And Sideswipe and I will always be right behind you making sure you don't forget that. We will never let you stay lost, we will _always_ find you."

I felt my eyes water so I quickly closed them and laid back down on his chest. Sunstreaker set his hand over me again and relaxed. Right now I was a little lost, but I wouldn't stay that way. Ratchet and the Autobots found Moonracer after she was lost for so long. Being lost wasn't set in stone. It was just a temporary lull.


	14. Chapter 14

_A/N: Happy, Happy New Year! This chapter is decently long and it has some long waited answers for you guys. Just a couple though, I mean I can't reveal my entire hand quite yet, can I? Also the movie Bumblebee was so adorable. It was a huge inspiration to write for this story again (which is ironic b/c Bumblebee isn't even in this chapter lol). Leave me rambly reviews and send me messages! Y'all know I love talking to you guys!_

* * *

Chapter 14:

Promises Made

* * *

 _"Promise me you will not spend so much time treading water and trying to keep your head above the waves that you forget, truly forget, how much you have always loved to swim." –Tyler Knott Gregson_

* * *

"So you told."

There came no immediate reply. In fact, the only sound filling the air was the low rumbling of his engine. I kept my eyes focused on the empty road ahead. My sight only worked where his headlights touched, the desert was just a black blur otherwise.

"My aim was not to betray your trust." There was guilt heavy in the Prime's voice.

I smiled softly, hoping he could somehow see it despite not having his holoform activated, "No, it's ok, OP. I get it. You needed to share the information. I just…" He remained quiet, allowing me to find my words, "It's easy to ignore when less people know. Now though, it's- I'm not upset. They know everything though?"

"Except what you have yet to tell me." He replied. His deep voice resonated within the interior of his cabin. I sank down into his leather seats looking for some form of comfort. The seat's warmth helped to some degree, I guessed.

"The talisman on Cade's arm teleported us to Austin. I had what I thought was a death induced hallucination, but then that death induced hallucination started to _chase_ us around the hive while we looked for some mysterious alien _staff_." The words sounded absolutely ridiculous as they rolled off my tongue, but this was just the life I lived now. "Then Megatron told me he needed to _murder_ me to keep me safe, Cade miraculously blocked his attack with a magic sword, and my life has officially taken a nosedive into insanity."

Optimus hummed, "Aj, I believe you've mingled with insanity long before your trip to Austin."

"Fair point you have there."

"We will _always_ keep you safe, Aj." Optimus reassured. I leaned my head against the headrest and let my eyes drift up to the stars. Out here in the middle of nowhere, with no streetlights or glow of humanity, the stars were bright and innumerable. "I _will_ find you answers on this mystery. I give you my word as Prime."

"Thanks, OP." I mumbled. My eyes were drooping and my body still ached. This conversation couldn't wait any longer, and Optimus had graciously offered to take me on a drive while we did so. "Can you take me back to Ratchet? I'm tired."

His engine rose an octave as he picked up speed, "Of course."

* * *

 _Sunstreaker groggily came online and he was immediately aware that the presence that had once been lying on his chassis was no longer there. He let his annoyance slip out through his vocalizer as a series of grunts. His servo searched the berth beside him, but it didn't find whom it searched for._

 _He forced his optics online as well and glanced around his small berth room. They finally settled on his target, who stood with her back to him as she stared out the window._

 _"Come back to berth." He groaned and shifted his position, "Sides may have come in by now, but we can't see him yet. He won't be off duty for another groon or two."_

 _Her light gray and burnt orange door wings suddenly jerked up and remained stiff and frozen. His optics narrowed as he started to feel a rumbling that resonated through his chest._

 _"Sunstreaker, the_ Docks _."_

Sunstreaker's systems came online with a snap and he threw out his arm to grab her only to get his arm caught by his familiar red twin. He was venting out too much air at the moment, but he couldn't get it to stop.

' _Sunny_.' Sideswipe pressed with worry. He could feel his twin searching through the bond for answers and stumbled across the memory of what he saw last. Sunstreaker didn't hesitate to give him access and while his red twin relived through the same moment he was just forced to, he pulled his arm back towards himself and rubbed his helm with his servos.

Aj wasn't on his chassis anymore, Prime had taken her 7 Earth hours ago for a talk, and it was a good thing she hadn't been with the harsh way he came out of recharge.

 _'Sunny, what the frag?'_

 _'I don't know.'_

 _'That was the morning of the attack, but_ who _…'_

A silence settled between the two of them. The sound of steps filled the air and Ratchet came over to the two of them, "What the _frag_ do you two slag heaps think you're doing? If you wrestle in here while I have Aj in the office recharging and Moonracer in stasis, I _swear_ to Primus-"

"Ratchet, my programming is malfunctioning." Sunstreaker snapped.

Ratchet narrowed his optics. The medic always took health claims with full sincerity, "What's wrong?"

"I'm…I'm _dreaming_." Sunstreaker used the very human word that should've never applied to them. Sideswipe shook his helm over the bond, but he ignored it.

"Sunstreaker, we _don't_ dream. We can have our processors replay old memories but-"

Sunstreaker snapped a glare to the medic's direction, "Ratchet, these aren't memories I'm seeing."

* * *

I could see the glow of fluorescent lights, but yet again my eyes were shaded from them. With a grunt, I sat up to see I had been sleeping in a small cot set up on what looked like a large, Cybertronian sized desk. The rest of the room was small, rather bare, but there were a few datapads stacked up in the corner away from me.

This was Ratchet's office. I had been in here only a few times before and it was only for a moment each time. Usually, he had the light on and that made details easier to see.

The door leading out of his office was open and I could hear the harsh Cybertronian language floating through to me. The last thing I remembered was falling asleep in Optimus Prime's cabin. He must have done exactly what I asked and brought me to Ratchet.

"Ratchet?" I called out curiously and all speaking outside the office ceased. The view I had limited me to only one half of the main, Cybertronian only medbay. I could see Moonracer's still body lying on top of one of the berths and I could see the empty berth next to her, but the rest was cut from view. Seconds later Ratchet stepped into view. He quickly came to his desk and sat down making his eye level only a Cybertronian head above mine. If I stood up from the cot we'd almost be eye level.

"How do you feel, youngling?" His voice was soft towards me.

I smiled, "Peachy keen, docbot."

Ratchet chuckled to himself, "Amazingly, the worst injury you had was a few cracked ribs on both sides."

"Yeah, I can feel those." I moaned and let my hand run over the overly sore spots on my chest. The pain was evident anytime I breathed, but other than that everything else was just sore, "What happened to my brace? I never got to ask."

"We took it off so you could rest." Ratchet answered quickly. There was exhaustion written on his face, I could see it clear as day.

"You mean, you took it off so I'd be glued to the medbay."

Ratchet smirked in amusement but there was a beat of silence in the conversation before he rolled his shoulders as if trying to stretch. It was a very human like motion, "Wheeljack is on his way to put it back on."

Slowly, I tried to stand up, but Ratchet was quick to use his hand to keep me down, "Hey-"

"Just wait until your brace is on before moving, I don't want any accidents."

Rather than argue, I wrapped my arms around his hand and leaned against it, "I'm sorry I'm so accident prone, Ratchet. I'm sorry I make you worry."

"If you weren't making me worried, you wouldn't be you, and I wouldn't want anyone else as my ward." Ratchet said sincerely, "I'm just concerned…"

I nodded once, "Op told me y'all knew now."

Ratchet's eyes grew hard, "We will find answers, and we will protect you."

His response and been the same as Optimus Prime's. I had a feeling that was going to be the response from every person I talked to about this, but I didn't mind hearing it from my guardian. Although, I didn't like the solemn tone that had filled the air or the twist of discomfort that settled in my gut. With a grin, I leaned back on my hands, "So who were you talking to out there?"

"Sideswipe and Sunstreaker."

My eyes widened in surprise, how come they hadn't come in with Ratchet to see me? Granted, I had just been with Sunstreaker, but I hadn't seen Sideswipe since the battle in Austin. Ratchet must have noticed my contemplation and shook his head, "They went to their berth room. They needed the rest. It was an order."

I didn't think an order from Ratchet would keep Sideswipe from seeing me, but I didn't argue. Instead, I bobbed my head once, "Right, so how's Moonracer coming along then?"

"She's in better shape now. Her memory banks are still heavily damaged." Ratchet sighed and I watched his gaze turn to her. "We have another medic coming in from the Australia base to help me with repairs. I need more than just Taylor for this." His sea-foam shaded eyes held worry and longing in them, "I'm hopeful that with his help we can scavenge some of her memories, but it isn't looking good at the moment."

"When does the new guy get in?"

"His name is First Aid. He trained under me on Cybertron." Ratchet looked back to me, "He should get here by tomorrow, but he cannot leave the Australia base until Swoop of the Dinobots is relocated to that base to work as their acting medic."

Ratchet's eyes darted back over to Moonracer and I smirked, "She said she recognized the name Ratchet."

" _She did_?" Ratchet's gaze snapped right back to me.

"Yeah, she called you _kind_." I grinned and at the sight of my grin Ratchet seemed to grow flustered. He stiffened in his seat and fidgeted in place slightly, "Ratchet, is she-"

Ratchet scoffed loudly, "She worked as a field medic and she used to come into my medbay from time to time to resupply and ask for tips."

"Sunstreaker said you trained her or something?"

"No. Nothing like that. She trained elsewhere and they taught her well. She was a _good_ field medic." He crossed his arms, a pout still evident on his face.

I chuckled to myself and Ratchet scoffed again before mumbling under his breath in Cybertronian. A beat later, Wheeljack's cheery voice rang called out. Ratchet called him over gruffly, and he breezed into the office with fins a glow.

"Aj! Good to see you up! How do you feel?" Wheeljack came over and knelt by the desk to speak to me.

"I feel great, Jackie. Especially now that I know Ratchet has a _girlfriend_."

"Oh, he told you about Moonracer?"

Ratchet stood up quickly, so quickly in fact that Wheeljack was knocked off balance. The mech waved his arms in a near comical fashion to stay upright, but it did him no good as he hit the ground with a thud. The medic marched out, "I have things to do, you two bit brained _idiots_. Get her brace on her, Jack."

I could still hear Ratchet mumbling to himself in Cybertronian as he disappeared from view. Wheeljack's hand lifted up to set a few things on the desk then it disappeared as the sound of transforming filled the air.

"So I see that's still an touchy topic to discuss." Wheeljack's holoform said as he grabbed the supplies and walked over to sit on my cot.

He carefully set my bad leg in his lap and began to work. I chuckled, "Yeah, I was teasing him about it, but his reaction confirms that there was _definitely_ something there. Were they actually dating?"

"No, I don't believe so." Wheeljack replied, "It was obvious to _everyone_ except them though that they liked each other. Although…" He paused both in speech and motion, "With Moonracer's memory issues, perhaps it truly is a sensitive subject now."

I shook my head, "She remembered him."

"Really?"

"Yeah." I smiled to myself as Wheeljack continued to work on my brace, "And from what I can tell about sparkmates or whatever, she'd never really forget him, right?" Wheeljack hummed thoughtfully and I let my gaze go over his head to Moonracer again, "I mean, look where she is now. She _found_ him."

* * *

Sideswipe sat on his berth staring at his twin who laid across the room on his own. The yellow mech's gaze was glued to the ceiling above him, but Sideswipe knew his processors were a million miles away. Ratchet had taken Sunstreaker's claim seriously. The medic had ran an extensive scan, but the results came back clean. There was nothing wrong with Sunstreaker.

"When First Aid gets here, when they work on Moonracer's memory banks, maybe they can take a look-"

"It _wasn't_ a memory."

Sideswipe leaned forward on his knees, " _Sunny_ -"

Sunstreaker whipped around and threw his legs off the berth so he could sit up and glare at him. Sideswipe felt frustration and confusion roll off his brother briefly before the yellow mech slammed down a wall on his emotions, "I remember that morning, Sideswipe. I have that entire day _burned_ into my processors. What I saw was _not_ a memory."

Sideswipe didn't speak up. He didn't have to. While Sunstreaker may have thrown up his walls to block things off, Sideswipe left his side open for his twin to explore. He was also throwing affection and comfort at the wall in hopes something stuck, in hopes something was felt.

Sunstreaker stood up and held his helm between his servos, "The missiles woke me up. Your-… _Your pain_ , that woke me up." He turned around to stare at Sideswipe, "I was _alone_. I remember that."

"Sunny." Sideswipe stood slowly and stepped toward his brother, "I don't know what's happening, and I am _not_ doubting you." He set his servos on Sunstreaker's shoulders firmly, "I'm just as confused as you are, but if we want to find answers about this femme… Sunny, you're going to have to keep an open processor."

' _Sides_.' Sunstreaker pleaded over the bond.

 _'I'm not belittling what you had to go through. I know that day was-'_

 _'It was the worst day of my_ existence.' Sunstreaker snapped fiercely.

 _'I know_.' Sideswipe hummed and poured out his love for his twin in hopes that it settled the yellow mech's spiraling spark, ' _We will find answers_.'

* * *

Peter had on a white collared shirt, black dress pants, and a dark blue tie. His hair was brushed to the side and his shoes were shined. My cute little nephew was a little business professional.

"Aj, you're making that weird humming noise again." Peter chuckled.

I beamed at him, "I can't help it. You look so cute and professional. About to go to political war with Galloway's idiot ass."

"Thanks, I think." Peter readjusted his glasses and held a door open for me to walk through. "How do you feel?"

"Great, really." I shrugged and flinched at the movement I felt in my chest.

Peter chuckled, "Very convincing."

"My ribs still hurt is all, but other than that I'm fine. My scratches are all scabbed up, my bruises are still bruises, but your Aunt has taken a harder beating than this before."

"Of that, I'm aware." Peter motioned toward my knee brace.

I waved him off, "Is my adorable little political nephew taking me somewhere or not? I have a date with the gym, you know?"

Peter smirked and motioned to me, "And here I thought you were just wearing gym clothes because nothing fits over the brace."

"Peter." I fake gasped at him, "The _sass_! And here I thought _you_ were the good child."

He chuckled and shook his head before leading me down another hall towards a hangar I actually hadn't bothered exploring. There were so many on this base, and with Galloway floating around ready to attack me I couldn't be out in the open alone for too long.

"You know how First Aid comes in today, right?" Peter questioned and I nodded, "Well, I pulled a few strings on the whole ' _Swoop/First Aid'_ transfer to get you a surprise."

I narrowed my eyes in confusion, "A surprise?"

"They're landing now." Peter led me into a busy hangar where soldiers worked both at computers in the corner. I walked out to the tarmac area outside in time to see a large black plane of some sorts coming in for landing.

I lifted my arm to block some of the wind and flinched at the loud noise. Peter held his hand up to block the sun from his eyes, but seemed unfazed otherwise. The plane landed and the wind subsided. Other soldiers joined us out on the tarmac while some ran over to the plane itself to do odd jobs I didn't pay close enough attention to.

The back of the plane opened and I watched a small ambulance race out and toward the opposite side of the base. I'm sure Ratchet was hailing the new medic over comms and anyone smart didn't leave Ratchet waiting. First Aid had been a normal looking ambulance though and not a hummer emergency vehicle like Ratchet was.

Peter nudged me and I looked back to the plane in time to see a familiar pair of white eyes open. My face lit up as I jogged forward, " _Grimlock_!?"

The dinobot marched out of the plane and immediately began to shake and stretch, he blew a roar of fire out into the air making many soldiers jump. My eyes narrowed as I noticed the dinobot was now painted completely black. He had been his normal gray the last time I saw him over video chat.

"Who the _fuck_ painted _my_ dinobot _black_?!"

"I hear all the dinobots got painted." Peter replied with a chuckle as he came to stand by me, "It was to make them more intimidating."

I scoffed, "What? A big ass, fire-breathing, metal dinosaur isn't intimidating enough?"

Peter let out a bark of laughter and I couldn't help but grin too. I leaned over and wrapped my arms around him tightly, "Thanks, Pete. I knew you were the good kid after all."

He laughed again and I turned back to Grimlock who finally noticed me. He began to run over, making the ground shake, and the soldiers behind him yelled out panicked cries of warning as they saw I was right in the dinobot's path.

Grimlock skidded to a stop in front of me with his face low enough to hit me right in the chest. My cracked ribs groaned in pain, but I kept a smile on my face as I hugged the dinobot's ginormous nose. I was barely the side of his head alone.

"Grimlock! I missed you!"

"Me Grimlock miss you dinobot pet too." He grumbled and nuzzled his nose into my face. I laughed in amusement as Grimlock pulled back, "What happen to you dinobot pet's leg?"

"Some jackass hit me with a baseball bat." I answered.

Grimlock growled, "Me Grimlock step on him human."

"Don't worry, he's already taken care of."

Grimlock continued to grumble in annoyance. He had never asked about my injury while I was lying in a hospital bed talking to him before. I guess it had never come up, but now that he could see it, it was an issue in his eyes.

"Hey!"

I jumped at the new voice and looked down in time to see a small little Cybertronian hovering by my foot. He only came up to my knee and had thin rod likes limbs with tires for feet. His plating was dark blue and his eyes were bright red.

"That's Wheelie. He must have stolen a ride." Peter spoke up from behind me in a cautious tone. Was it because of the red eyes? Was this some sort of weird prison transfer thing?

"Aw he's a cutie." I cooed.

"You're not so bad yourself, sugar tits." Wheelie replied without missing a beat. My eyes widened and I immediately drew my right leg back then punted him across the tarmac. He cried out as I watched the lightweight mech fly back a good fifty feet before hitting the ground a tumbling back a few extra. He stood up and yelled at me in Cybertronian.

"Wow." Peter set his hand on my shoulder, "Good distance."

"I keep forgetting about my bionic leg." I replied. "Hey, am I gonna get in trouble for that?"

Peter chuckled, "It's Wheelie so I doubt it."

"Me Grimlock eat him Wheelie?" Grimlock questioned. Wheelie yelled again before transforming into a blue toy trunk and speeding away.

I lifted my hand and rubbed Grimlock's nose, "Maybe later."

"Grimlock, Prime uh, he would like to see you in the other hanger so if you, well, if you want to come with me?" A soldier stepped up to us and Grimlock turned his menacing gaze onto the soldier. The man in the uniform gulped nervously and from the looks of it this must have been his first time dealing with the dinobot in person.

I nudged Grimlock, "Hey, be nice, Grimlock. Go see OP. If I hear you were misbehaving…"

Grimlock scoffed, "You pet no boss of me Grimlock. Me Grimlock _King_."

The dinobot stalked away and the soldier jogged behind him. Hopefully he had at least stalked away in the right direction. I looked back to Peter, "Grimlock calling himself King is sort of a new deal."

Peter sighed, "One of the soldiers on the Diego Garcia base showed the dinobots the movie King Kong. Kong was King of his island so now…"

"Grimlock is King of his." I chuckled, "You know, you got that bot obsessed with Jurassic Park as a kid?"

Peter began to lead me back to the hangar, "Did I really? I don't even remember that."

"Yeah, for a while that's all that played in the living room to keep Grimlock occupied and happy."

Peter opened his mouth to speak, but another voice filled the air. We both glanced over in time to see Tyler walking over with Izabella beside him. She held his good hand while his other arm was still in a sling. The cut on the side of his head had stitches now, but other than that and a few ugly bruises he looked fine.

"Hey Izabella with a Z." I greeted with a smirk.

She smiled back at me in amusement. The young girl looked clean now, with new clothes too, and she actually seemed truly happy. It was a huge difference from the last time I saw her. I wondered if her new clothes and washed hair had anything to do with Aubrey. Last I saw of my sister, was when she visited me in the medbay yesterday, but I think she had gone home to Vegas after with Luke and Annabelle. They were all getting ready to leave for vacation. I think they were actually leaving tomorrow?

"First Aid just got in. He should be in the medbay by now and getting debriefed by Ratchet for the operation." Peter spoke up.

Izabella's eyes lit up, "Can I go, Tyler?"

"Do you know how to get there?" Tyler questioned.

"Of course I do." She rolled her eyes in good nature.

Tyler shrugged, but it was mostly just his one good shoulder that rose and fell, "Sure then. You know the rules though."

"Don't get lost, and don't get caught by Galloway." She chimed and began to walk away.

"You know how to call me if you need me!" Tyler yelled after her.

I crossed my arms and glanced over at Peter, "So who put the _baby_ in charge of babysitting?"

Peter laughed and Tyler snapped his gaze away from Izabella to me, "Hey, I'm not a baby."

"I heard she only ever leaves the medbay if it's with Tyler." Peter gave his little brother a soft smile. There was pride on his features, "She called him her hero."

Tyler rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, "She just is comfortable with me is all. She spent a lot of time with mom yesterday too."

"I gotta go. Political business and what not." Peter leaned over and hugged me tightly. I squeezed him tightly and thanked him again and again for the Grimlock surprise. "Anything for you, Aj. Later, Tyler. Don't get into trouble."

Tyler waved his brother off before hooking his good arm around me and dragging me in the opposite direction Peter was going in, "So you were heading to the gym right?"

"Yeah?"

"Good. Me too." He grinned, "How do you feel?"

I wrapped my own arm around his torso and leaned into him as we walked, "My ribs are still a little sore, but other than that I'm peachy. How about you?"

Tyler chuckled, "Considering I went toe to toe with an Ironhide drone, it's a miracle I lived to tell the tale." I narrowed my eyes at him and he laughed again, "Don't worry, Ratchet, Jazz, Bluestreak, Peter, _and_ mom already gave me the tenth degree. All separate lectures, all back to back."

"Good. You dumb baby boy." I chimed.

I recognized the hallway we were in. A few more turns and we'd be in the large training room. It wasn't the one I typically used, I liked the smaller gym on the other side of base just because it seemed like people used that one less. The one Tyler was dragging me to was the one soldiers ran their training exercises in usually and I tried to give them their space.

"Heard you let your boyfriend escape from Austin."

My eyes widened in confusion, "Who told you that?"

Tyler scoffed, "It was kind of obvious, Aj. Cade disappeared right-"

"No, no, no." I interrupted him, "Obviously, I let him go. Why wouldn't I? What I meant was, who told you he was my boyfriend?"

"Really? _That's_ your concern?" Tyler laughed, "Joyce said it when he was telling us his side of the mission. He kept referring to the two of you as boyfriend and girlfriend." I rolled my eyes in annoyance, but Tyler continued, "And as to why you shouldn't have let him go, uhh, he has a mysterious Cybertronian artifact stuck on his arm? That should be concerning to _all_?"

I waved off his worry. "He's fine. I trust him and the artifact isn't a danger. Sort of. Also, he is _not_ my boyrfriend."

We reached the double doors for the training room. Tyler stopped me and glanced down at me. Curse his giant height. He shook his head, "Aj, you know you have to tell me if Cade tries to contact you, right? It's my job to track him down."

I reached up and pinched his unbruised cheek, "Of course I will, baby boy."

"Aj, I'm serious."

"And so am I, baby boy." I cooed mockingly as I lied through my teeth, "You'll be the _first_ to know."

I loved my Tyler with all my heart, but I wasn't about to sell out Cade to him. Tyler knew this too, I could see it on his face that he understood I wasn't going to help him out on this. He rolled his eyes and pushed open the doors, allowing me to enter first.

The training room was much larger than the one I usually worked out in. The ceiling was high, a double story room, and that was because the outer edges of the room had a metal walkway connecting it to the other rooms beside it, one of which being another hangar. The far wall had windows at the top, letting in natural sunlight, but the ceiling was also covered in floodlights.

In the middle of the room was a large blue mat for sparring while workout equipment filled the rest of the room. There was another door off to the side to the right, but I was pretty sure that just led to a locker room.

The next thing I noticed was the room was fairly crowded. There were multiple soldiers wearing matching gray shirts that read 'UHAC on the front with work out, black shorts. They also wore sparring gloves and helmets as they casually stood about. Lennox noticed us and started to walk over.

"What's going on?" I asked curiously. Truthfully, I knew the answer and it filled my veins with an excited thrill.

"We're sparring today as a training exercise. Two different units." Lennox answered. I recognized Hemi Kang and Joey Moretti standing beside a metal bleacher pushed against the wall talking. They hadn't noticed me yet.

"One of these units is mine, but-" Tyler began, but I didn't let him finish.

"Can I join?" I pleaded. Lennox's eyes widened, "Please, Lennox. _Please_?"

Lennox shook his head, "Aj, you're injured-"

"Barely!" I called out, "I've done longer fights with _way_ worse injuries before. Since I got here I've been working out with the bag in the other gym, but I haven't fought against someone in so long. Please, I'm _begging_ you."

Tyler grinned, "I wanna fight too-"

"You're injured." I pointed to his dislocated shoulder, "You're sitting out."

He scoffed and began to march away to his friends, "If that isn't the biggest double standard…"

Lennox looked back to me and I could see him sizing me up. His gaze drifted over my minor wounds and he crossed his arms. He glanced over his shoulder once, to his soldiers, then back to me. The corner of his lips twitched up in a smile, "If your sister finds out I let you fight against my soldiers, we'll both be in big trouble."

"What Aubrey doesn't know won't get either of us in trouble. That goes double for Ratchet." I replied with a smirk. I had this. The look in his eyes told me he was curious about what I could do in a fight. If all the talk he had probably heard was actually true.

Lennox shook his head in amusement as he motioned for me to follow him, "Tell me, is this where Tyler gets his ' _I have an answer for everything'_ attitude from?"

I raised an eyebrow, "Well we both know the kid isn't clever enough to have come up with this amazing wit on his own."

Lennox laughed and reached down to dig through a box he had led me to. I could feel the gaze of some of the soldiers on me, but I kept my focus on Lennox. He pulled out a helmet and pair of sparring gloves. The sparring gloves were red and they were the type where they just covered the top side of my hands, my fingers were still out and available. The helmet was matching color, but I laughed at it.

"Really, Lennox?" He nodded and forced the helmet into my hands after I slipped on the gloves, "You're really making me wear this helmet?"

"Safety first."

I tucked the helmet under my arm, "You know, I've been punched in the head before. It isn't anything new, and that's _only_ if your soldiers can land a hit there." He leveled a light glare at me. I pouted, "But Lennox I won't look as cool." He didn't budge. "Ugh, fine."

I forced the helmet on my head and Lennox walked away to address his soldiers. In total, there were probably around twenty of them or so. Tyler sidled up next to me. He grinned cheekily, "If you want to borrow my mouth guard you can."

"Ew, gross." I shoved him, "Who knows where you put that mouth?"

"Well-"

" _Don't_." I growled at him before his cheeky, dirty mind could say something I didn't want to hear him say. He chuckled and pulled out his phone to text. The soldiers crowded together as Lennox began to speak, Joey slid in beside me and wrapped his arms around my shoulders with a shit-eating grin.

"Long time no see, wifey." I rolled my eyes, but gave him a good-natured smile in greeting.

Lennox cleared his throat, "Alright, you guys know the drill. We got the Cybertronian unit up against the Pararescue unit today." There was cheering from both sides as he said the names. "Winner gets their tag on the wall, loser is training the rest of the day under Ironhide." I chuckled and Lennox looked over at me, "We also got a guest today. Aj Bradshaw is subbing in for Tyler while he rests."

"Is she gonna _suck_ like Williams usually does too?" A guy called out. I glanced over to see he was a pretty big guy, but I didn't recognize him all that much. He must have been a Pararescue one. His blond hair was shaved close to his head and he was super bulked up.

Tyler let out a fake laugh, "That's rich coming from you, Byl. Who hit the mat first last time?"

"Focus up." Lennox barked, he must have known the two of them would keep going if he didn't put an end to it now. "Alright, let's have Kang and Ulmer up first."

The area began to clear as Hemi and some medium sized guy went to the center of the pad. I lifted my hand curiously, "Wait, wait, hang on." Lennox and a few others looked at me, "What are the rules for this thing?"

"There are no rules here, rookie." The Byl guy replied at me with a smug grin drawn across his face. Lennox nodded in confirmation.

I smirked in excitement, "Oh, y'all are gonna regret that."

* * *

Taylor wore her suit and sat on the side of the empty berth with her legs hanging off of it. Izabella sat a few feet away playing with her helmet and the glove she had taken off in order to text. Tyler had sent her a message that Aj was about to fight in one of the weekly sparring tournaments they had in place of him. The Cybertronian unit was going up against the Pararescue unit too. Andrew Byl was a part of that unit and was a total asshole. She wouldn't mind watching her aunt wipe the floor with his smug bullshit.

Ratchet continued to explain something to First Aid who was listening intently. Taylor had met First Aid once before, but it had been a while ago. Before she started working with Ratchet for sure. The slim red and white mech's visor glowed a bright blue as he hung onto every word the elder medic said.

 _'You start yet?'_

Taylor smiled, ' _No, not yet. Ratchet is still debriefing First Aid.'_

 _'Def gotta meet up with First Aid later today. Missed the guy.'_

 _'That is if Ratchet ever lets him free_.' She replied and looked back up to see Ratchet still speaking, though his voice had raised an octave for some reason.

 _'Is he gonna let you free for lunch today or am I on my own, honey?'_

 _'I should be clear by then. See you later, love.'_

He sent her a quick heart as a reply making a smile slip onto her features. She put her phone away and looked over at Izabella who was wearing the helmet and glove while watching Ratchet and First Aid. Taylor chuckled and caught her attention. The little girl quickly pulled off the items, "Sorry."

"Don't be. You're curious, it's fine."

"So are you really going to help them fix Moonracer?"

"That I am." She smiled warmly at her before pulling her glove back on and latching it to the rest of the suit. The seam melded away, but Taylor was careful to double-check it all the way around. An energon leak would not be fun; she's already had one close call before and did not want to repeat that ever again.

She glanced over again at Izabella who was staring at Moonracer in worry. Taylor couldn't help but wonder about the girl's family. She told them she was alone, but she wouldn't explain it further than that. Granted, if she ever did it'd probably be to Tyler. The young girl trusted him.

"Taylor, are you ready?" Ratchet questioned. She gave him and First Aid a smile before pulling on her helmet.

"I'm all yours, Ratchet."

* * *

I wasn't sure how Lennox's bracket worked, and I wasn't gonna ask him as he sat on the bleachers with a datapad taking notes on it all, but each fight had a time limit of 7 minutes and it seemed like if you lost twice then you were eliminated. So far there had been five fights with two people being eliminated. The first had been a Pararescue soldier and then the second had been Joey himself.

"Listen, I had a big breakfast, ok? Please tell me you still love me, wifey." Joey pleaded from my side.

I gave Joey a sweet smile and set my hand on the side of his face, sparring glove and all, "Oh Joey." He leaned into my head and batted his eyelashes at me a few times, "You're _dead_ to me, you _loser_."

His jaw dropped, "Aj, you're heartless…and I'm only more in love with you."

I rolled my eyes as Lennox called out the next fight, "Nutting and Bradshaw."

My eyes lit up as I jogged onto the mat. A girl about my height walked up as well. Her long blonde hair was tied in a low ponytail that stuck out of the helmet. It was a weakness, but it was one I'd resist using against her. My own hair was braided tightly and stuffed completely under my helmet.

"Good luck." She smiled at me in a warm manner. Aw, she seemed sweet.

"You too." I stuck my hand out for her to clap, and she did so happily. I was going to fucking destroy her.

Tyler blew his whistle, his designated job, and I put my hands up in front of my face. We circled each other twice before she threw out a punch. I blocked it with my hands, and lunged back a step to avoid the quick cross punch that followed it. I circled again before lunging forward. I jabbed at her hands, which covered her face, but followed it with a gut shot that had her stumbling back. Her hands lowered away from her face so I continued forward with another round of punches. One hit her hands; the other hit the side of her helmet.

She was quick to recover and began to throw punches at me that I weaved through and blocked. It was about this time that I realized hand to hand combat wasn't her field of expertise. All her moves were correct and she was quick, but they were very mechanical. She fought like someone who had only ever fought on a training mat before.

Maybe I'd hold back on fucking destroying her after all.

The soldier continued her series of attacks and I continued to block while mapping out her technique. She left her side open and I got in the position to kick her, but immediately stopped myself as I realized I was about to use my right, bionic leg. The freeze left me open enough that she managed to punch me in the face causing me to stumble back. I shook it off and lunged forward with a series of punches. She blocked the first few, but I kept the speed and strength up and didn't relent. Her hands lowered a few inches out of exhaustion, and they did so just long enough for me to send a hook punch to her head.

She tried to recover, but I sent another downward punch that knocked her to the ground. The Pararescue soldier tapped out after that, and the usual cheering after a fight ensued. I helped her up and she quickly congratulated me before heading back to a few soldiers she had been speaking to before hand.

The fight had been calm and reserved. I was hoping for something more intense. I glanced over at Lennox who looked up from his datapad to me. He raised a single eyebrow and I smirked at him in response. I held my hands up in a ' _Is that all you got?'_ manner and amusement filled his face.

"Bradshaw and Gordon."

A guy stepped into the ring. He had a bounce in his step and a glint of enthusiasm in his eyes. He was bigger than me, maybe around 6'0" even with broad, muscled shoulders. His features were dark, both eyes and hair, but he looked friendly enough. He gave me a quick grin, Tyler blew his whistle, and then the soldier lunged forward and tackled me to the ground.

I landed on my back, not expecting that at all, but I recovered before he threw his first punch. My hands were up, my forearms taking the brunt of all his blows, but I focused my attention on rocking my hips back and forth to try and throw him off balance. After three more blows I managed to rock him up as he was throwing a punch and I pushed my knees into his back. The brace gave me enough strength to throw the larger man over my head onto his own back.

Before he could bounce up, I swung around and threw my left leg into his side knocking him over completely. This gave me enough time to jump to my feet. He rolled to his own, hands up, and I couldn't help but grin.

Now this was going to be a real fight.

He threw himself forward, throwing a strong cross as he did so, and I lunged forward and ducked under his arm. Two kidney punches, but before I could get a third in he spun around and caught me in the side of the head. I stumbled to the side, but managed to throw my hands up again just in time to block an uppercut punch to my face. I couldn't do any actual kicks with my left leg, I had avoided using it for so long because of the discomfort in my hip, that now it just wasn't in my routine. All my kicks came from the right, but I still didn't wanna accidentally kick one of Lennox's soldiers through the wall.

Gordon threw another punch and I ducked under it and then stepped another step closer so I was right in his space. I sent a flurry of punches to his chest and he stepped back to avoid, but I kept moving forward so I was never in his full length of reach. I hit him two more times in the chest and then sent an uppercut right under his jaw. I heard his teeth snap together as he stumbled back.

He shifted his weight back and lifted his leg to kick me right in the chest, but I sidestepped and caught his heavy leg in the crook of my arm. Before he could yank it back I quickly shoved it upwards so he was thrown onto his back.

Without hesitation, I threw myself on top of him and managed to punch him in the face twice before he threw me off. I rolled to my feet, hands up, as he wiped away the fresh blood that dripped down his nose.

Tyler blew his whistle, "Time!"

"Goes to Bradshaw." Lennox called out before making a note on his datapad.

I held my hand out, "Good job."

Gordon nodded, "Yeah, you got a nasty cross."

Tyler called out to me, "You're doing great, _Lil'Bit_. Making me proud!"

I narrowed my eyes at him, "What did you just call me?"

"Lil'Bit. 'Cause you're so small and adorable. It's cute isn't it?"

Lennox called out two other names so I stepped off the mat to Tyler who blew the whistle for them while still looking at me with mirth in his gaze. I pointed at him, "Call me that again, and I'll throat punch you, Tyler. You're old enough now that I won't feel any guilt whatsoever."

He laughed and held his thumb, index finger, and pinky out with a quick shake. The sign for ' _I love you'_. I returned it with a shake of my head and sat down next to him to watch the next fight.

The tournament continued on with more and more people being eliminated. I fought six more fights, each one harder than the last. I only came close to losing two. The first was when a girl managed to get me in a headlock that took me longer than necessary to get out of and the second was when a guy managed to hit me right where my cracked ribs were and my vision flickered for a second from the pain.

We were down to five people now. Three from the Cybertronian unit, one of which was me, and two from the Pararescue.

"You're not too bad."

I looked away from the fight between Hemi Kang and some random Pararescue guy to see the Byl guy who had mocked Tyler standing next to me. He wasn't too much taller than me, maybe a few inches, but he was heavily muscled.

"Gee, thanks."

"I'm Andrew Byl. Pararescue." He held out his hand for me to shake. I did so with a raised eyebrow, but the look of skepticism didn't deter him, "We'll probably be fighting next. You won't take it personal when I kick your ass, right? You'll still get a drink with me later?"

He winked at me and I shook my head, "I don't remember _ever_ agreeing to wanting to get a drink with you in the first place, dude."

"Come on, I'll make it worth your while. We have a little bar on base for when we're off duty. It's small and kinda shitty, but you make do with what you got."

"No thanks."

"Come on." He egged again and pushed me lightly on the shoulder.

Ok, so he wasn't the ' _take a hint'_ kinda guy.

"Andrew, I mean this sincerely when I say I would rather lie down in a hangar and let Ironhide run me over a couple hundred times, ok?"

His eyes narrowed and the fight in front of us was called. Unfortunately, Hemi had lost, but fortunately the next two names Lennox called out were ' _Byl and Bradshaw'._

As I walked by Tyler he signed to me, ' _Murder him, please.'_

It was difficult to see because he had to hunch over to use the hand of his bad arm, but I got the message clear as day. I stepped into the ring and rolled my shoulders. I was already kind of tired which was pathetic of me, but I assumed it was just from not being at 100% when I started this whole ordeal.

I had seen Andrew fight multiple times now though so I knew he didn't just lunge in. He circled and waited for an open window. That gave me a few seconds to settle into the fight t least.

"I get it, you know." He sneered at me as he crouched over slightly with his hands held out, almost like he was in a wrestling match position, "You're just one of those robot loving groupies." His tone was harsh when he used the word ' _robot'_ and it was that moment that I decided I might actually do what Tyler suggested and murder him, "An entitled robot loving groupie just like that _bitch_ Taylor Williams."

Oh, he was going to die.

Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw Tyler put the whistle in his mouth. The sound came out, but before it completely ended I threw my arm out and grabbed the rim of the back of Andrew's helmet. In a swift movement, I brought his head down while also bringing my right knee up. My brace smashed him in the face, I could feel the crunch of bone, as my hand ripped off his helmet. He howled in pain as blood poured from his nose. Both his hands held his face in pain and I took this moment to use all my strength in a cross punch that sent him to the floor.

"Aj!" Lennox barked at me.

I turned to the bleachers and held up the helmet for show, "I am _so_ sorry, Lennox. My hand totally slipped. That's my bad."

"Did your knee slip too?" He scoffed with a shake of his head.

I gave him a smug grin and shrugged. He pulled his phone out and I could hear him calling for a medic. Andrew's buddies came over to try and help him up, but he just shrugged them off to glare at me, "You fucking bitch!"

His hands muffled his words and they sounded odd from the broken nose too. I smiled and threw his helmet into his gut, "Talk shit, get hit, Byl." I knelt down so I was eye level with his glare, "You say a bad word about my Cybertronians or my kids, and I will fuck you up. Don't forget it."

I walked over to sit next to Tyler, Joey, and Hemi who were all smiling with various degrees of smugness in their features. Joey and Hemi quickly fell into their own conversation about how he deserved it for some shit he had said a few weeks back, but Tyler signed to me in his own pathetic way again _, 'That's my aunt_.'

With a chuckle, I just gave him the ' _I love you'_ sign again.

"Bit of a cheap shot. Attacking before the end of the signal."

The voice was deep and southern, and vaguely familiar? I looked up to see a man standing on the walkway above the training room exit. I narrowed my eyes at whoever was talking shit, but he disappeared only to reappear in front of me. I jumped in surprise. From here, I could see that the holoform belonged to Ironhide. He wasn't one of the mechs I spent a lot of time with, but I recognized the scar that went across his eye.

Lennox heaved a sigh, but I stood up, "They said no rules. Technically, did I even have to wait for the slagging whistle?"

Ironhide's holoform smirked, "Still, I can't say I see what the twins were talking about. So you can beat up a few humans. How's that special?"

A slow grin lit my face and I felt Tyler tug on my arm, "Aj, don't do anything stupid. If Ratchet-"

"Maybe _you_ should fight me then." I pulled my arm away from Tyler.

"Aj, Ironhide, don't-" Lennox began, but Ironhide waved him off.

The holoform chuckled, "How would that even be fair for you?"

I shrugged, "It's ok if you're scared. Sunstreaker fought me, but if you're too worried-"

Ironhide's eyes widened, "Mat. _Now_."

That was almost too easy. I still hadn't ran into Sideswipe yet, but when I did boy was he going to love this story. Quickly, I gave Tyler a thumbs up before jogging to the mat where drops of Andrews blood still were.

"I won't take it easy on you, if you don't take it easy on me." I joked and Ironhide scoffed at the thought of me taking it easy on him. Lennox was still shaking his head, but he hadn't put a stop to us yet so there was that.

I tore off my gloves and threw them aside and then reached for my helmet but Ironhide stopped me, "Leave on the helm protection. Hatchet will be fragging pissed if I break your processors."

"News flash, Hatchet is going to kill both of you regardless." Lennox yelled out. He wasn't wrong. Still, the news didn't stop the entire crowd of soldiers from curiously looking on as Ironhide and I squared up against each other. There was a buzz of exhilaration and anticipation running under my skin.

This was going to be fun.

* * *

Sideswipe stood next to his brother who sat on the berth. Both of them watched as Ratchet and First Aid worked together on Moonracer with Taylor assisting them with small tasks. The female child they picked up from Austin was in the room too and she watched from a berth, but didn't speak.

 _'This is a waste of time. They aren't going to find anything._ ' Sunstreaker scoffed from over the bond. Sideswipe didn't respond, and instead just sent him reassuring waves.

The red twin watched as his favorite medic suddenly froze and went ramrod straight. The struts in his back seemed to lock up in tension. Sideswipe could also tell it was coming from a comm. Reading his favorite medic was simple, but with as much time as he spent in the medbay that was hardly surprising.

"Fraggit!" Ratchet barked in annoyance and stepped away from Moonracer. He ordered First Aid to continue.

The medic turned around to look at them. Sideswipe, out of habit, lifted his servos in innocence, "We didn't do anything."

"I know you didn't." Ratchet scoffed, "Ironhide just commed me."

"What'd he say?" Sunstreaker pressed. Was there something wrong on base?

Ratchet forward the comm message to them. They activated it and listened to Ironhide speak one, quick sentence.

 _::I'm going to spar with your youngling.::_

Sideswipe snickered and Sunstreaker echoed his amusement. That explained why Aj's side of the bond was so happy right now. She was fighting a holoform. That had always been the ultimate challenge in her eyes.

"Go make sure my youngling doesn't get herself offlined. Otherwise, I'll have to reformat Ironhide into a toaster oven and Prime will have to find us a new Weapons Specialist." Ratchet barked. Sideswipe looked to his brother who nodded. The yellow twin was going to stay.

Sideswipe transformed and began the process of projecting his holoform into the training room. It would be faster than driving over, even at his speed. His holoform took shape on the walkway above the room and he was surprised to see that he wasn't the only holoform there.

Jazz was pacing the walkway and looked seconds away from jumping down to the room itself. In fact, he was probably going to. Sideswipe held his arm out, "Whoa, whoa, whoa." Jazz finally looked over at him with a glare that Sideswipe ignored, "Hold your human horses, Jazzy."

"Do you see this?" He motioned down to the mat where Aj and Ironhide were fighting. Sideswipe smiled as he watched Aj duck under hits and keep moving. Ironhide was a hard swinger. A hit from him really made its mark, but he was on the slow side. Aj actually stood a chance if she kept moving.

 _'She's keeping herself close. Not bad.'_ Sunstreaker hummed in agreement.

"She's doing good."

Jazz shook his head, "She said she was goin' to stop fightin'. Plus she's hurt right now."

Sideswipe shook his head, "She said she was going to stop fighting in the ring. Fighting is a part of who she is. It's fun for her. A part of you understands that, I know you do, Jazz."

Jazz's holoform heaved a sigh, "It's dangerous for her. She's goin' to get hurt."

Sideswipe glanced down again to see Ironhide catch his femme in the face with a solid hit. Aj went down hard, but she was quick to roll back up. Jazz gripped the walkway's railing with his servos tightly.

The twin shook his helm, "Let her have this, Jazz. She loves it. You can feel it through the bond."

Despite the hits she had taken, Aj's bond was still buzzing with excitement. Jazz rubbed his face with a servo and then faded from view. He ended up sitting next to Tyler on the bleacher, the mech had startled when in occurred, but Jazz didn't do anything to end the fight prematurely.

Sideswipe hummed to himself before leaning against the railing. Aj got Ironhide in the side with her brace and the mech's holoform stumbled, but he countered with a kick to her chassis that sent her down. Worry found root in his spark, but it was brushed away when he watched her stand back up. Ironhide wasn't going to truly hurt his femme, and the pride of watching Aj rise again and again was nearly blinding.

Sideswipe smiled to himself, ' _Our femme is a warrior_.'

Sunstreaker agreed completely and watched through the bond with him.

* * *

So maybe this had been a mistake.

Ironhide's fist hit me the face, again, and I felt my lip split open as I hit the mat hard. This was probably the fifth time I had hit the mat, and boy was I feeling it now. I had gotten a few good hits in, but Ironhide was named Ironhide for a reason. Even his holoform seemed to be invulnerable. I was glad a medic carted Andrew out of here before I started getting my ass kicked. He'd enjoy this way too much.

I forced myself up and Ironhide grunted before hitting me again before I was even fully up. My face was pressed against the mat for a second before I started to push myself up again with shaking arms.

"Again?" Ironhide said, but I couldn't tell what tone he used. I was too focused on making sure I didn't fall over. As I shakily got to my feet, I swallowed the blood that filled my mouth from when I bit myself during the last hit, and lifted my arms to block my face, "Do you not stay down?"

I waved my hand at him, "What? Me?" I forced a scoffed and tried to steady myself, "I'm not even- even tired yet! Why? You getting sleepy, old mech?"

Ironhide stepped toward me and I braced myself for another hit, but he just chuckled and set his large hand on my shoulder. I froze, waiting for the trap but not having enough energy to fight against it. He nodded, "I see what the twins mean."

"Uh, thanks?" I replied skeptically. Was the fight over? Oh thank God, I only had a few more moves left in me.

"Ratchet has been barking at me over the comm since this started."

"You in trouble, Hide?" I joked.

Ironhide chuckled, "He wants to see you."

The holoform fizzled away. I let my arms fall and just sat down on the mat. Lennox chuckled, "You ready for the next tournament fight? We got a couple more, Aj."

"Sure. I'm just gonna take a quick break. Mini coma. Don't mind me." I replied and let myself fall back onto the mat in exhaustion.

"How 'bout I carry you to the medbay first?" A familiar voice called out. There were footsteps and then Jazz's holoform was standing above me with a smile. The smile was worried though, I could tell.

I lifted my arms, "Jazz! I haven't seen you since Austin!"

"Let's catch up then, sweetspark." He reached down and scooped me up. I called out a quick goodbye to Tyler and them while Jazz took me away. He glanced at me, "That was reckless, Aj."

"Ironhide wouldn't hurt me for real. Could you imagine what Ratchet would do to him?" I laughed. My lip was busted and my cheekbone was bruised, I could feel it, but other than that and some exhaustion I felt ok. "How are you though? Last I saw you and Megatron were duking it out. Everyone told me you were ok but…"

Jazz squeezed me closer to him, "It'd take more than a Decepticon warlord to take me out. Came out mostly scratch free."

"Mostly?" I pressed.

"Nothin' Ratchet didn't patch up real good."

I nodded and then sighed, "Wow, Ratchet is going to murder me."

"Yupp."

* * *

Moonracer's procedure was halfway through, but he forced himself to stop. First Aid and Taylor needed a break and his youngling needed his attention anyways. He was going to take a look at Sunstreaker, but the mech and his brother slipped out at the mention of Aj coming in.

 _::We don't want her to worry.::_

Ratchet sent an acknowledgement to the comm from the yellow mech. It was strange to even get an explanation from the more broody twin, but it made sense. Now Ratchet knew not to accidentally mention the twins to her at this time. Jazz's holoform came in with Aj and he pushed his worry about Sunstreaker to the side.

"How have you even survived this long?" Ratchet scoffed and walked over to take Aj carefully into his servo.

"Pure luck, I reckon." Aj replied cheekily.

Jazz spoke up, "Remember, swing by my place tonight."

"Got it." Aj replied and then Jazz dismissed his holoform. Knowing the saboteur his true form was probably in a meeting right now and he was just sending his holoform about to avoid being mentally present.

Ratchet carried Aj to a berth. Aj waved to Taylor who waved back before going back to removing her suit. She was heading off to lunch now he assumed.

"Where's the new guy?"

"He went to get energon." Ratchet replied before scanning his ward. Same injuries as before with a few new ones, but overall she was fine. "I got an interesting email from a human medic on base."

Aj smirked, "Oh yeah?"

"Yes. He stated that Air Force Pararescue Andrew Byl was in his clinic with a fractured zygomatic process and a broken nose."

Taylor chirped from her locker, "You broke his face!?"

"In my defense, he's a raging asshole." Aj crossed her arms. "Talk shit, get hit."

Ratchet lightly rapped her against the helm in response to her words. She smiled up at him sheepishly. Taylor spoke again from her locker as she pulled off her boots, "What shit did he say?"

Aj scoffed, "Firstly he called you a bitch. I was not having that."

That explained it. Ratchet shook his helm. Aj could never resist a fight with someone who threatened or misspoke about ones she loved. It was her, as the humans say, Achilles heel.

"Yeah, he asked me out once. I said no."

Aj laughed, "Yeah, he also called us 'robot groupies'. I didn't like him calling my mechs robots. Plus, how stupid is he?" She laid down on the berth and stretched. He shook his helm at her. "Like we'd be groupies for our mechs."

"What…What do you mean?" Taylor spoke up and Ratchet could hear the hesitance in her voice. He glanced from one to the other.

"I mean, the notion is ridiculous." Aj sat up and began to stretch her legs, "Like we'd look at any of our mechs like that. They're Cybertronian."

Ratchet stiffened as she watched Taylor's eyes widen. The femme shifted from pede to pede before quickly calling out that she had to go to lunch and excusing herself. Ratchet put a servo to his face. That would be sure to stir up quite an issue. He hoped Taylor didn't take the statement personally. Aj had just never been in the position to even consider a Cybertronian human relationship, but that was mostly because the femme was oblivious.

"So how's Moonracer?" Aj asked. She didn't even realize the dilemma that had just sprouted in her niece's mind. Ratchet shook his helm at her again and she lifted an eyebrow at him in response, "What?"

* * *

Taylor pulled her knees to her chest as she sat on the couch in the break room for the computer analysts. It was a random spot, but she and Tyler used to come to this break room a lot. It had the best coffee hands down. More than that, right now it was useful because all the computer analysts had either left or were working and the room had rather limited access.

 _'Taylor, I know you're in there. Please come out?'_

Rather than answering the text message she rested her head on top of her knees. This shouldn't be bothering her, but still worry filled her mind.

"If you really thought a conveniently placed break room was going to stop me, you were very wrong, honey."

His voice filled the room and Taylor couldn't help but chuckle to herself. Somehow even a simple statement like that her heart skip a beat. It was dumb, but everything he did just made her happy. Shouldn't that be enough?

He pulled a chair along with him and took a seat in front of her. Taylor lifted her gaze to land on his bright blue eyes, which were currently filled with nothing but concern.

"Honey, talk to me. You've been acting strange since lunch and I'm worried." Smokescreen reached forward and took her hand in his. His holoform was still in his military uniform. His shift must have just ended.

"Andrew called me a bitch today." Taylor said and she watched Smokescreen's eyebrows furrow and his shoulders stiffen, "Aj responded by breaking his nose and cheekbone."

Smokescreen nodded, "Good. He deserved it! Slag, next time I see him-"

"But Aj also said the idea of a 'robot groupie' was ridiculous. She can't even fathom the thought of a Cybertronian and a human…" Taylor's words trailed off. She knew Aj hadn't meant the words to hurt, she didn't know the truth after all, but it filled her heart with a kind of worry she hadn't felt in a long time. In fact, the last time she felt this kind of fear was right before she told her mom about this relationship.

"Taylor, she doesn't know, and Aj just… I don't think she's ever even really gave it true thought." Smokescreen shrugged and squeezed her hand, "If she did, I'm sure her opinion would change. It was just her talking without thinking."

Taylor shook her head, "I just can't help but think… Smokey, what if she doesn't look at me the same after she finds out? I can't keep this a secret from her forever. It isn't fair to you, but… I can't stand the thought of Aj-"

Her voice broke and she hastily swiped away tears. The thought of her aunt, her hero, looking down on her or rejecting her broke her heart. Growing up, all she wanted to do was make her parents and Aj proud. When peopled sneered at her and told her a pretty woman couldn't be a good engineer she did what Aj told her to do and did it anyway. Nobody would make her feel small.

"Taylor." Smokescreen moved from his seat to sit next to her. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, "I'll admit, I don't know Aj as well as some of the mechs here, but if there is one thing I learned, and I know this fact without a shadow of a doubt, it's that she loves you and your brothers more than life itself." He used his other hand to brush the hair from her face and let it linger on her chin, "Taylor, she destroyed a male's face just because he said one wrong word about you. I truly believe that she would never look at anything you did negatively."

Taylor smiled at his words and comfort and leaned her forehead against his, "You're right." She chuckled and shook her head lightly, "You're so right."

"I have that habit." Smokescreen joked.

Taylor leaned forward and pressed her lips against his. Smokescreen kissed back without hesitation and buried one of his hands into her loose blonde hair. She broke away, but he leaned forward to plant a quick second kiss on her lips with a grin. Smokescreen helped her off the couch and kept his hand around her shoulders as they walked.

"Can we stay in your berth room tonight?" She leaned her head against his shoulder.

"Whatever you want. Are you sure though? I know you've been staying in your apartment because you didn't want Aj to see you missing."

Taylor kissed his jawline, "I'm sure."


End file.
